Plural voting
Encyclopedia
Plural voting is the practice whereby one person might be able to vote multiple times in an election
. It is not to be confused with a plurality voting system
which does not necessarily involve plural voting. Weighted voting is a generalisation of plural voting.
, for example, up to 1948, people affiliated with a university were allowed vote in both a university constituency
and their home constituency, and property owners could vote both in the constituency where their property lay and that in which they lived, if the two were different. Some university-educated property owners could even vote in three different constituencies. These practices were abolished by the Representation of the People Act 1948
, which was first applied in the 1950 General Election.
.
Every male citizen over 25 got one vote for legislative elections, but some electors got up to 2 supplementary votes according to some criteria::
For municipal elections, a fourth vote was granted to family heads who paid a fixed level of electoral tax, or whose cadastral income was at least of 150 francs.
in 1889. It was previously available to certain male property owners.
or to increase the importance of long-term planning as an election issue. This was proposed in France in 1871 by Louis Henri de Gueydon
; in the UK in 2003 by Demos
, and in 2007 by Dutch economist Lans Bovenberg
. It is a policy of the Christian Party of Austria.
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
. It is not to be confused with a plurality voting system
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
which does not necessarily involve plural voting. Weighted voting is a generalisation of plural voting.
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, for example, up to 1948, people affiliated with a university were allowed vote in both a university constituency
University constituency
A university constituency is a constituency, used in elections to a legislature, that represents a university rather than a geographical area. University constituencies may involve plural voting, in which eligible voters are permitted to vote in both a university constituency and a geographical...
and their home constituency, and property owners could vote both in the constituency where their property lay and that in which they lived, if the two were different. Some university-educated property owners could even vote in three different constituencies. These practices were abolished by the Representation of the People Act 1948
Representation of the People Act 1948
The Representation of the People Act 1948 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the law relating to parliamentary and local elections...
, which was first applied in the 1950 General Election.
Belgium
In Belgium, plural voting was introduced in 1893 and applied for elections from 1894 to 1919 as a way to limit the impact of universal suffrageUniversal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
.
Every male citizen over 25 got one vote for legislative elections, but some electors got up to 2 supplementary votes according to some criteria::
- holder of a school diploma;
- family head over 30, paying a poll taxPoll taxA poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
of at least 5 francs; - holder of a savings account of at least 2,000 francs, or beneficiary of a life annuityLife annuityA life annuity is a financial contract in the form of an insurance product according to which a seller — typically a financial institution such as a life insurance company — makes a series of future payments to a buyer in exchange for the immediate payment of a lump sum or a series...
of at least 100 francs.
For municipal elections, a fourth vote was granted to family heads who paid a fixed level of electoral tax, or whose cadastral income was at least of 150 francs.
New Zealand
Plural voting, also referred to as "Dual Voting", was abolished in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1889. It was previously available to certain male property owners.
Parental vote
It has been proposed that a parent should get a vote for each dependent child, to increase the birth rateBirth rate
Crude birth rate is the nativity or childbirths per 1,000 people per year . Another word used interchangeably with "birth rate" is "natality". When the crude birth rate is subtracted from the crude death rate, it reveals the rate of natural increase...
or to increase the importance of long-term planning as an election issue. This was proposed in France in 1871 by Louis Henri de Gueydon
Louis Henri de Gueydon
Louis Henri, comte de Gueydon was a vice admiral in the French Navy, and the first governor of Algeria under the Third Republic.-Family :De Gueydon was born in Granville, Manche. His family were nobles of Italian extraction...
; in the UK in 2003 by Demos
Demos (UK think tank)
- History :Demos was founded in 1993 by former Marxism Today editor Martin Jacques, and Geoff Mulgan, who became its first director. It was formed in response to what Mulgan, Jacques and others saw as a crisis in politics in Britain, with voter engagement in decline and political institutions...
, and in 2007 by Dutch economist Lans Bovenberg
Lans Bovenberg
Arij Lans Bovenberg is an important Dutch economist, known mainly due to his contribution to the Dutch debate on population ageing, pension reforms and public finances. Lans Bovenberg was awarded the Spinoza Prize in 2003.-Education:Bovenberg was born and raised in Oosterbeek in the Netherlands...
. It is a policy of the Christian Party of Austria.
See also
- University constituencyUniversity constituencyA university constituency is a constituency, used in elections to a legislature, that represents a university rather than a geographical area. University constituencies may involve plural voting, in which eligible voters are permitted to vote in both a university constituency and a geographical...
- One man, one vote
- SuffrageSuffrageSuffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
- Prussian three-class franchisePrussian three-class franchiseAfter the 1848 revolutions in the German states, the Prussian three-class franchise system was introduced in 1849 by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV for the election of the Lower House of the Prussian state parliament. It was completely abolished only in 1918...