Electoral system

An electoral system is the system used to administer an election. The term is usually used in relation to political elections, to refer to both the constitutional arrangements and the voting systems which between them determine which individuals and political parties are elected to particular positions of power.

In many democracies there is debate about whether the arrangements currently in place is the most fair and effective, and proposals for change are constantly put forward. Electoral reform of this kind is motivated by a range of different perceptions, for example:

• that the system produces unrepresentative results or is otherwise unfair (a common criticism of first past the post systems).
• that it tends to lead to weak coalition governments (a common criticism of proportional representation systems).

See Two-Party System: Arguments For and Against

National electoral systems

See Elections by country

See also

• List of politics-related topics

• Ballot access
• Criticisms of electoralism
• Electoral Commission
• Vote
• Voting system

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