Political Science 1100

Dual executive

A form of executive in which the posts of head of state and head of government are divided. In a parliamentary system head of state is the constitutional monarch or elected president and head of government is Prime Minister.

Proportional Representation

A method for allocating seats in a legislature in which the number of seats a party receives in a district or nationwide is proportional to the votes it receives in the elections.

Single Transferable Vote (Proportional Representative)ys

A proportional electoral s, preferential candidate centered PR system used in mulit member districts; elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or unused votes are transferred according to the voter's stated preferences

Mixed Member Proportional System (MMP)

An electoral system that combines the proportional features of a party list proportional representation system with the local representation features of a single-member plurality system. Under this mixed system, each voter casts one vote for a party list and another for an individual candidate in a single-member electoral district.

First Past the Post (FPTP) non-proportional representative

An electoral system that requires the winning candidate to receive more votes than any other in order to win the seat- that is to win plurality of votes. The majority (FPTP) systems employ single member electoral districts.

Head of State

In parliamentary systems head of state is held either by a constitutional monarch or an elected president. UK- Queen of UK but also constitutional monarch to 15 other countries, although the official duties are carried out by the governor general.

Proportional Systems (multi-member districts)

List system and Single Transferable Vote (STV)

majoritarian electoral system. -non proportional

Must earn a majority of votes- 50 +1 percent. The majority is usually achieved through a second ballot or alternative voting system. Run off- 2 candidates and re-vote, Plurality-only plurality on second ballot, Alternative Vote-single election and rank in order of preference.

Plurality System / First Past the Post

Non-proportional system. Most familiar in North America. The plurality system to win equals more votes than any other candidate but not necessarily a majority. More common name is First Past the Post.

List system -proportional representative

The most commonly adapted form of proportional representation employing relatively large multi-member electoral districts and a ballot that requires voters to choose from among party lists or candidates on party lists. Ex: Israel and Switzerland.