Plurality-at-large voting
Encyclopedia
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional
voting system
for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district
using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election
. Although multiple winners are elected simultaneously, block voting is not a system for obtaining proportional representation
; instead, the usual result is that the largest single group wins every seat by electing a slate
of candidates, resulting in a landslide
.
Even if the term "at-large
" describes elections for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body, this system can be used by a country divided in some multi-member electoral district
s, but in this last case the system is commonly referred to as block voting or the bloc vote.
This system is usually based on a single round of vote, but it can sometimes appear in a run-off version, as in some local elections in France
, where candidates who do not receive an absolute majority must compete in a second round
. Here it can be better called as majority-at-large voting.
The term bloc voting sometimes means simple plurality election in multimember districts. In such a system, each party introduces a list of candidates and the party winning a plurality of votes wins all the seats. In contrast to such a system, the system described in this article can be called unlimited voting (contrary to limited voting, in which a voter has fewer votes than the number of seats contested).
). The n candidates with the most votes (who may or may not obtain a majority of available votes) are the winners and will fill the positions.
City Council consists of three seats, and seven candidates are vying for one of the seats. For purposes of this example, there are 1,500 voters participating in the election, and the voters each select the maximum three candidates.
Election Results:
Since Flo, Mr. Big, and Bernie received the most votes, they will comprise the Dinertown City Council. Flo and Mr. Big obtained a majority of the maximum 1,500 votes available per candidate; Bernie obtained only a plurality.
, is particularly vulnerable to tactical voting
. Supporters of relatively unpopular third parties
have a substantial incentive to avoid wasted vote
s by casting all of their votes for the slate of candidates from a major party.
Parties in block voting systems can also benefit from strategic nomination
. Coalitions are actively hurt when they have more candidates than there are seats to fill, as inevitable vote-splitting will occur. Similarly, a coalition has substantial incentive to nominate a full slate of candidates, as otherwise supporting voters may cast some of their remaining votes for opposing candidates.
Bullet voting
is a strategy where a voter deliberately only makes a mark for a single candidate in an attempt to not accidentally cause him to be beaten by additional choices. Because the voter is essentially wasting a portion of his vote, bullet voting is only a good strategy when the voter has a strong preference for his favorite and is unsure of (and/or indifferent to) the other candidates' relative chances of winning, for example,if the voter supports an independent candidate or a minor party who has only nominated one candidate.
majorities for the group of candidates with the highest level of support. Under block voting, a slate of clones of the top-place candidate is guaranteed to win every available seat.
Additionally, like first past the post methods, small cohesive groups of voters can overpower larger numbers of disorganised voters who do not engage in tactical voting
, sometimes resulting in a small minority of voters electing an entire slate of candidates by merely constituting a plurality.
Some uses of this system have fostered the creation of an electoral alliance
between political parties or groups as opposed to a coalition
. This has been the case in the National Assembly of Mauritius
, the New Hampshire House of Representatives
with the election of multiple Free State Project
as well as New Hampshire Liberty Alliance
members and in the Vermont Senate
with the elections of Vermont Progressive Party
members Tim Ashe
and Anthony Pollina
. Historically, similar situations arose within the multi-member constituencies in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
While many criticize block voting's tendency to create landslide victories, some cite it as a strength. Since the winners of a block voting election generally represent the same slate or group of voters, there is greater agreement amongst those elected, potentially leading to a reduction in political gridlock
.
to the Gibraltar Parliament, where each voter has 10 votes and 17 seats are open for election; the usual result is that the most popular party wins 10 seats and forms the ruling administration, while the second most popular wins 7 seats and forms the opposition. Partial block voting is also used in the Spanish Senate
, where there are 4 seats and each voter receives 3 votes. Historically, partial block voting was used in three- and four-member constituencies in the United Kingdom
, where voters received two votes, until multimember constituencies were abolished.
Under partial block voting, the fewer votes each voter is granted the smaller the number of voters needed to win becomes and the more like proportional representation
the results can be, provided that voters and candidates use proper strategy. At the extreme, if each voter receives only one vote, then the voting system becomes equivalent to the Single Non-transferable Vote
and the minimum proportion needed is the Droop Quota
.
Block voting, or plurality block voting, is often compared with preferential block voting as both systems tend to produce landslide victories for similar candidates. Instead of a series of checkboxes, preferential block voting uses a preferential ballot. A slate of clones of the top preferred candidate will win every seat under both systems, however in preferential block voting this is instead the instant-runoff
winner.
The party block voting, or general ticket, is the party-list version of the bloc vote. If in the classic BV the candidates formally stand as non-partisan and some minority nominations can be theorically successful, in the PVB each candidate are linked to his party-list, which is voted by the electors producing a landslide
, and any minoritarian representation is excluded. So, the full at-large PVB is considered completely anti-democratic, and it is used only to elect portions of assembly.
Block voting was used in the Australian Senate
from 1901 to 1948 (from 1918, this was preferential block voting). It was used for multi-member constituencies in Parliamentary
elections in the United Kingdom until their abolition, and remains in use throughout England and Wales
for some local elections
. It is also used for elections in Jersey
and elections in Guernsey
.
Plurality block voting is also used in the election of the Senate of Poland
, of the Parliament of Lebanon
, the plurality seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council
and for the National Assembly of Mauritius
. In some Lebanese and Palestinian constituencies, there is only one seat to be filled; in the Palestinian election of 1996
there were only plurality seats, while in 2006
, half the seats were elected by plurality, half by proportional representation nationwide.
A form of plurality block voting was used for the elections of both houses of Parliament in Belgium
before proportional representation was implemented in 1900. The system, however, was combined with a system similar to a runoff election; when not enough candidates had the majority of the votes in the first round, a second round was held between the highest ranked candidates of the first round (with two times as many candidates as seats to be filled). In some constituencies there was only one seat to be filled.
Plurality block voting is also in use in the United States
today. Although national elections and most state elections use single-member districts, some members of the Maryland House of Delegates
, New Hampshire House of Representatives
, and Vermont House of Representatives
are elected by block voting from multi-member districts. In local elections such as for city council, however, block voting remains the most popular system in use.
In most of British Columbia
, Canada, including Vancouver, plurality "at-large" block voting is used in local election
s, in place of the ward system found elsewhere in Canada
. Block voting was also in place in a number of multimember ridings of the provincial parliament.
In Hong Kong, block voting is used for a tiny proportion of the territory's population to elect the members of the Election Committee
, which is responsible for selecting the territory's Chief Executive.
Block voting was used in some constituencies for the House of Representatives
in the Imperial Diet of Japan in the first six general elections between 1890 and 1898: while the majority of seats was elected in 214 first-part-the-post single-member districts, there were 43 two-member districts that elected their representatives by block voting.
Block voting is often used in corporate elections
to elect the boards of directors of corporations including housing cooperative
s, with each shareholder's vote being multiplied by the number of shares they own, however cumulative voting
is also popular.
The Bahá'í Faith
uses a form of plurality-at-large voting to elect its governing councils at local, national, and international levels.
The Philippines
is the country with the most extensive experience in plurality-at-large voting. Positions where there are multiple winners usually use plurality-at-large voting, the exception is the election for sectoral representatives in the House of Representatives
. The members of the Senate
and all local legislatures are elected via this method. The members of the Interim Batasang Pambansa
(parliament) were also elected
under this method.
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
voting system
Voting system
A voting system or electoral system is a method by which voters make a choice between options, often in an election or on a policy referendum....
for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election
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...
. Although multiple winners are elected simultaneously, block voting is not a system for obtaining proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
; instead, the usual result is that the largest single group wins every seat by electing a slate
Slate (elections)
A slate is a group of candidates that run in multi-seat or multi-position elections on a common platform.The common platform may be because the candidates are all members of a political party, have the same or similar policies, or some other reason....
of candidates, resulting in a landslide
Landslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
.
Even if the term "at-large
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
" describes elections for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body, this system can be used by a country divided in some multi-member electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
s, but in this last case the system is commonly referred to as block voting or the bloc vote.
This system is usually based on a single round of vote, but it can sometimes appear in a run-off version, as in some local elections in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where candidates who do not receive an absolute majority must compete in a second round
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
. Here it can be better called as majority-at-large voting.
The term bloc voting sometimes means simple plurality election in multimember districts. In such a system, each party introduces a list of candidates and the party winning a plurality of votes wins all the seats. In contrast to such a system, the system described in this article can be called unlimited voting (contrary to limited voting, in which a voter has fewer votes than the number of seats contested).
Casting and counting ballots
In a block voting election, all candidates run against each other for n number of positions. Each voter selects up to n candidates on the ballot (voters are sometimes said to have n votes; however, they are unable to vote for the same candidate more than once as is permitted in cumulative votingCumulative voting
Cumulative voting is a multiple-winner voting system intended to promote more proportional representation than winner-take-all elections.- History :...
). The n candidates with the most votes (who may or may not obtain a majority of available votes) are the winners and will fill the positions.
Example
The DinertownDinertown
Dinertown is a fictional city and the center of activity in the Diner Dash series of games produced by PlayFirst.-Major Residents:*Flo: Flo is the central character in the Diner Dash series. A former stockbroker, she quit her job and opened a diner, and has since operated several more...
City Council consists of three seats, and seven candidates are vying for one of the seats. For purposes of this example, there are 1,500 voters participating in the election, and the voters each select the maximum three candidates.
Election Results:
- Flo -- 1,250
- Mr. Big -- 800
- Bernie -- 650
- Simon -- 600
- Derek -- 500
- Rosie -- 400
- Cookie -- 300
Since Flo, Mr. Big, and Bernie received the most votes, they will comprise the Dinertown City Council. Flo and Mr. Big obtained a majority of the maximum 1,500 votes available per candidate; Bernie obtained only a plurality.
Tactical voting and strategic nomination
Plurality block voting, like single-winner plurality votingPlurality 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...
, is particularly vulnerable to tactical voting
Tactical voting
In voting systems, tactical voting occurs, in elections with more than two viable candidates, when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her sincere preference in order to prevent an undesirable outcome.It has been shown by the Gibbard-Satterthwaite theorem that any voting method which is...
. Supporters of relatively unpopular third parties
Third party (politics)
In a two-party system of politics, the term third party is sometimes applied to a party other than the two dominant ones. While technically the term is limited to the third largest party or third oldest party, it is common, though innumerate, shorthand for any smaller party.For instance, in the...
have a substantial incentive to avoid wasted vote
Wasted vote
In the study of electoral systems, a wasted vote may be defined in two different ways:# Any vote which is not for an elected candidate.# Any vote which does not help to elect a candidate....
s by casting all of their votes for the slate of candidates from a major party.
Parties in block voting systems can also benefit from strategic nomination
Strategic nomination
Strategic nomination is the manipulation of an election through its candidate set...
. Coalitions are actively hurt when they have more candidates than there are seats to fill, as inevitable vote-splitting will occur. Similarly, a coalition has substantial incentive to nominate a full slate of candidates, as otherwise supporting voters may cast some of their remaining votes for opposing candidates.
Bullet voting
Bullet voting
Bullet voting is a tactic in which the voter only selects one candidate, despite the option to indicate a preference for other candidates. They might do this either because it is easier than evaluating all the candidates, or as a form of tactical voting.If enough voters bullet vote, almost any...
is a strategy where a voter deliberately only makes a mark for a single candidate in an attempt to not accidentally cause him to be beaten by additional choices. Because the voter is essentially wasting a portion of his vote, bullet voting is only a good strategy when the voter has a strong preference for his favorite and is unsure of (and/or indifferent to) the other candidates' relative chances of winning, for example,if the voter supports an independent candidate or a minor party who has only nominated one candidate.
Effects of block voting
The block voting system has a number of features which can make it unrepresentative of the voters' intentions. Block voting regularly produces complete landslideLandslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
majorities for the group of candidates with the highest level of support. Under block voting, a slate of clones of the top-place candidate is guaranteed to win every available seat.
Additionally, like first past the post methods, small cohesive groups of voters can overpower larger numbers of disorganised voters who do not engage in tactical voting
Tactical voting
In voting systems, tactical voting occurs, in elections with more than two viable candidates, when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her sincere preference in order to prevent an undesirable outcome.It has been shown by the Gibbard-Satterthwaite theorem that any voting method which is...
, sometimes resulting in a small minority of voters electing an entire slate of candidates by merely constituting a plurality.
Some uses of this system have fostered the creation of an electoral alliance
Electoral alliance
An electoral alliance may take the form of a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc. It is an association of political parties or individuals which exists solely to stand in elections...
between political parties or groups as opposed to a coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
. This has been the case in the National Assembly of Mauritius
National Assembly of Mauritius
The National Assembly is Mauritius's unicameral parliament, which was called the Legislative Assembly until 1992, when the country became a republic...
, the New Hampshire House of Representatives
New Hampshire House of Representatives
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 103 districts across the state, created from divisions of the state's counties. On average, each legislator represents about 3,300...
with the election of multiple Free State Project
Free State Project
The Free State Project is a political movement, founded in 2001, to recruit at least 20,000 libertarian-leaning people to move to New Hampshire in order to make the state a stronghold for libertarian ideas....
as well as New Hampshire Liberty Alliance
New Hampshire Liberty Alliance
The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance website states that it is a nonpartisan coalition working to increase individual political freedom in New Hampshire...
members and in the Vermont Senate
Vermont Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-member districts, three three-member districts, and one...
with the elections of Vermont Progressive Party
Vermont Progressive Party
The Vermont Progressive Party is an American political party. It was founded in 1999 and is active only in the U.S. state of Vermont. In terms of the dominant two parties in the United States, it enjoys support from "traditional liberal" Democrats and working class Republicans. The party is...
members Tim Ashe
Tim Ashe
Timothy Ashe is one of six current Vermont Senators from the Chittenden Vermont Senate District.-Personal life and early career:...
and Anthony Pollina
Anthony Pollina
Anthony Pollina is a Progressive American politician, who has run several times for elected office in the state of Vermont.-1984 US Congressional Election:...
. Historically, similar situations arose within the multi-member constituencies in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
While many criticize block voting's tendency to create landslide victories, some cite it as a strength. Since the winners of a block voting election generally represent the same slate or group of voters, there is greater agreement amongst those elected, potentially leading to a reduction in political gridlock
Gridlock (politics)
In politics, gridlock refers to the difficulty of passing laws fulfilling a party's political agenda in a legislature that is nearly evenly divided, or in which two legislative houses, or the executive branch and the legislature are controlled by different political parties...
.
Variations of block voting
Partial block voting, also called limited voting, functions similarly to plurality-at-large voting, however in partial block voting each voter receives fewer votes than the number of candidates to be elected. This in turn can enable reasonably sized minorities to achieve some representation, as it becomes impossible for a simple plurality to sweep every seat. Partial bloc voting is used for electionsElections in Gibraltar
Elections in Gibraltar gives information on election and election results in Gibraltar.Gibraltar elects on national level a legislature. The Gibraltar Parliament has 17 members, all elected for a four year term in one constituency with each voter getting to vote for their selection of eight...
to the Gibraltar Parliament, where each voter has 10 votes and 17 seats are open for election; the usual result is that the most popular party wins 10 seats and forms the ruling administration, while the second most popular wins 7 seats and forms the opposition. Partial block voting is also used in the Spanish Senate
Spanish Senate
The Senate of Spain is the upper house of Spain's parliament, the . It is made up of 264 members: 208 elected by popular vote, and 56 appointed by the regional legislatures. All senators serve four-year terms, though regional legislatures may recall their appointees at any time.The last election...
, where there are 4 seats and each voter receives 3 votes. Historically, partial block voting was used in three- and four-member constituencies in the United Kingdom
United 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...
, where voters received two votes, until multimember constituencies were abolished.
Under partial block voting, the fewer votes each voter is granted the smaller the number of voters needed to win becomes and the more like proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
the results can be, provided that voters and candidates use proper strategy. At the extreme, if each voter receives only one vote, then the voting system becomes equivalent to the Single Non-transferable Vote
Single non-transferable vote
The single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an electoral system used in multi-member constituency elections.- Voting :In any election, each voter casts one vote for one candidate in a multi-candidate race for multiple offices. Posts are filled by the candidates with the most votes...
and the minimum proportion needed is the Droop Quota
Droop Quota
The Droop quota is the quota most commonly used in elections held under the Single Transferable Vote system. It is also sometimes used in elections held under the largest remainder method of party-list proportional representation . In an STV election the quota is the minimum number of votes a...
.
Block voting, or plurality block voting, is often compared with preferential block voting as both systems tend to produce landslide victories for similar candidates. Instead of a series of checkboxes, preferential block voting uses a preferential ballot. A slate of clones of the top preferred candidate will win every seat under both systems, however in preferential block voting this is instead the instant-runoff
Instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...
winner.
The party block voting, or general ticket, is the party-list version of the bloc vote. If in the classic BV the candidates formally stand as non-partisan and some minority nominations can be theorically successful, in the PVB each candidate are linked to his party-list, which is voted by the electors producing a landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
, and any minoritarian representation is excluded. So, the full at-large PVB is considered completely anti-democratic, and it is used only to elect portions of assembly.
Usage of block voting
Countries using the block vote are:- KuwaitKuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
- LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
- LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
- MauritiusMauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
- MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
- SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
- TongaTongaTonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
- TuvaluTuvaluTuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
Block voting was used in the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
from 1901 to 1948 (from 1918, this was preferential block voting). It was used for multi-member constituencies in Parliamentary
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
elections in the United Kingdom until their abolition, and remains in use throughout England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
for some local elections
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
. It is also used for elections in Jersey
Elections in Jersey
Elections in Jersey take place for the Assembly of the States of Jersey and at parish-level. Various parties have been formed over the years in Jersey, but few candidates stand for election affiliated to any political party. All elections in Jersey use the First-past-the-post voting system...
and elections in Guernsey
Elections in Guernsey
Elections in Guernsey gives information on election and election results in Guernsey.Guernsey elects on national level a legislature. The Guernsey States of Deliberation consists of 45 elected members and 2 representatives of Alderney with the Bailiff acting as Presiding Officer with neither a...
.
Plurality block voting is also used in the election of the Senate of Poland
Senate of Poland
The Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...
, of the Parliament of Lebanon
Parliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
, the plurality seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council
Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...
and for the National Assembly of Mauritius
National Assembly of Mauritius
The National Assembly is Mauritius's unicameral parliament, which was called the Legislative Assembly until 1992, when the country became a republic...
. In some Lebanese and Palestinian constituencies, there is only one seat to be filled; in the Palestinian election of 1996
Palestinian legislative and presidential election, 1996
On January 20, 1996, elections took place in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem for President of the Palestinian National Authority , and for members of the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislative arm of the PNA....
there were only plurality seats, while in 2006
Palestinian legislative election, 2006
On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority . Notwithstanding the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; subsequent...
, half the seats were elected by plurality, half by proportional representation nationwide.
A form of plurality block voting was used for the elections of both houses of Parliament in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
before proportional representation was implemented in 1900. The system, however, was combined with a system similar to a runoff election; when not enough candidates had the majority of the votes in the first round, a second round was held between the highest ranked candidates of the first round (with two times as many candidates as seats to be filled). In some constituencies there was only one seat to be filled.
Plurality block voting is also in use in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
today. Although national elections and most state elections use single-member districts, some members of the Maryland House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
, New Hampshire House of Representatives
New Hampshire House of Representatives
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 103 districts across the state, created from divisions of the state's counties. On average, each legislator represents about 3,300...
, and Vermont House of Representatives
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members. Vermont legislative districting divides representing districts into 66 single-member districts and 42 two-member...
are elected by block voting from multi-member districts. In local elections such as for city council, however, block voting remains the most popular system in use.
In most of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada, including Vancouver, plurality "at-large" block voting is used in local election
Local election
Local elections vary widely across jurisdictions. In electoral systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a terminology has evolved with roles such as Mayor or Warden to describe the executive of a city, town or region, although the actual means of elections vary...
s, in place of the ward system found elsewhere in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Block voting was also in place in a number of multimember ridings of the provincial parliament.
In Hong Kong, block voting is used for a tiny proportion of the territory's population to elect the members of the Election Committee
Election Committee
The Election Committee is an 800-member electoral college in the politics of Hong Kong. It was established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong Kong. This article defines the method of electing the Chief Executive. It is renewed every five years when the sitting Chief Executive's term has expired...
, which is responsible for selecting the territory's Chief Executive.
Block voting was used in some constituencies for the House of Representatives
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
in the Imperial Diet of Japan in the first six general elections between 1890 and 1898: while the majority of seats was elected in 214 first-part-the-post single-member districts, there were 43 two-member districts that elected their representatives by block voting.
Block voting is often used in corporate elections
Corporate governance
Corporate governance is a number of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled...
to elect the boards of directors of corporations including housing cooperative
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
s, with each shareholder's vote being multiplied by the number of shares they own, however cumulative voting
Cumulative voting
Cumulative voting is a multiple-winner voting system intended to promote more proportional representation than winner-take-all elections.- History :...
is also popular.
The Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
uses a form of plurality-at-large voting to elect its governing councils at local, national, and international levels.
The Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
is the country with the most extensive experience in plurality-at-large voting. Positions where there are multiple winners usually use plurality-at-large voting, the exception is the election for sectoral representatives in the House of Representatives
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...
. The members of the Senate
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
and all local legislatures are elected via this method. The members of the Interim Batasang Pambansa
Interim Batasang Pambansa
The Interim Batasang Pambansa or the First Batasan was the legislature of the Republic of the Philippines from its inauguration on June 12, 1978 to June 5, 1984...
(parliament) were also elected
Philippine parliamentary election, 1978
A general election was held in the Philippines on April 7, 1978 for the election of the 166 regional representatives to the Interim Batasang Pambansa...
under this method.
See also
- Preferential block votingPreferential block votingPreferential block voting is a majoritarian voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember constituency. Unlike the single transferable vote, preferential block voting is not a method for obtaining proportional representation, and instead produces similar results to...
- Limited votingLimited VotingLimited voting is a voting system in which electors have fewer votes than there are positions available. The positions are awarded to the candidates who receive the most votes absolutely...
- General ticketGeneral ticketGeneral ticket representation is a term used to describe a particular method of electing members of a multi-member state delegation to the United States House of Representatives...
- Plurality voting
- At-largeAt-LargeAt-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
- Voting blocVoting blocA voting bloc is a group of voters that are so motivated by a specific concern or group of concerns that it helps determine how they vote in elections. The divisions between voting blocs are known as cleavage...
External links
- A Handbook of Electoral System Design from International IDEA
- Electoral Design Reference Materials from the ACE Project
- ACE Electoral Knowledge Network Expert site providing encyclopedia on Electoral Systems and Management, country by country data, a library of electoral materials, latest election news, the opportunity to submit questions to a network of electoral experts, and a forum to discuss all of the above