ELECTORAL

SYSTEMS

 What are Elections?

 Its functions
 Electoral Systems
i) First Past the Post
ii) Proportional Representation
iii) Mixed Representation
 Women and their role in Electoral
Process
 Conclusion

WHAT ARE ELECTIONS?

Elections are nothing but just a means or practice through
which people elect their rulers, control their governments and
replace incompetent leaders. Elections are often considered as
an integral part of democracy. Elections facilitate the process of
choosing representatives by the people to govern them.
Elections give people the feeling that they are part of the
democracy of the country and have a say.

FUNCTIONS OF ELECTIONS
 Elections allow citizens to choose their representatives and
government officials at various levels.
 Upholds and ensures the power of democracy
 Elected officials remain accountable and answerable to the
citizens.
 Ensures the participations of citizens from diverse section of
society in the democratic process.
 It is a peaceful way of transferring power without any
conflicts.
 Elections encourage political participation of people.
 Through elections, people indirectly influence laws, policies,
and governance by choosing leaders who reflect their views.
 Helps to form a legitimate government.
 Promote political competition which will lead to better
governance.
 Prevents Dictatorship.

ELECTORAL SYSTEMS
An electoral (or voting) system is the process through which the
electorate – those eligible to vote in a particular election –
choose who they want to represent them. Electoral systems are

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crucial to the way in which people take part in politics, and who
holds power in a representative democracy.

The electoral system determines how a fundamental political

right – the right to vote – is exercised. The way in which votes
are cast and counted impacts the composition of the
democratic chamber, the manner in which representatives
relate to the public, and which party, or group of parties, is able
to form a government. The type of electoral system used can
influence the choices individuals make when casting their
vote(s), as well as the kind of government that can be formed.
Electoral systems therefore play a defining role in the character
of the political system.

There are different types of Electoral Systems:

 First-Past-the-Post
 Proportional Representation
 Mixed Representation

1. FIRST-PAST-THE-POST OR
MAJORITARIAN SYSTEMS.

First-Past-the-Post (also referred to as the Single Member

Plurality system) is the system used for UK parliamentary
elections. It has been used in every Westminster constituency
since the 1950 election. In this mode of elections the candidate
who gets the most votes wins, and is elected to be the Member

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of Parliament for that constituency. It is what is often referred
to as a ‘majoritarian’ (as opposed to ‘proportional’) electoral
system. This means that the seat is won outright by a
candidate (rather than distributed in relation to the proportion
of votes cast). The winning candidate does not actually need to
win an outright majority of votes cast, however, simply at least
one more than any other candidate (or a ‘plurality’).

Since its implementation First-Past-the-Post system had faced

many criticisms. The major one among is that it is
disproportionate. On this account, an electoral system should
make sure that a party’s level of support is reflected in the
number of seats they win. FPTP, however, does not produce a
distribution of seats that reflects the overall way in which votes
have been cast across the country. Another major criticism is
that it only rewards the main parties and disadvantages the
smaller parties and candidates. And FPTP helps the larger
parties to remain in power even without best political views.

2. PROPORTIONAL
REPRESENTATION SYSTEMS

Proportional representation systems are defined as those

electoral systems which are designed to ensure as far as
possible that the number of legislative seats captured by a
party are in proportion to the votes they receive in an election
(Evans 2012). In principle, this system holds that parties should
be represented in an assembly or parliament in direct
proportion to the overall electoral votes cast for them. The
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probability government formation by a single party is generally
less under proportional representation systems. This system of
election is known to promote multiparty system and coalition
government.

One of the prominent proportional systems is the Single-

transferable-vote (STV) system. This is followed in the Republic
of Ireland and the UK (Northern Ireland Assembly). Under STV,
multiple representatives are elected to each constituency
(unlike FPTP). So, one area may be choosing four members, for
example. Voters rank candidates in order of preference. A
quota of votes that a candidate has to reach in order to be
elected is determined by dividing the total number of votes by
the number of seats available. If a candidate receives more
votes than the quota they are elected, and their additional
votes are redistributed to the other candidates on the basis of
who was put as the next preference. If this process doesn’t fill
all the available seats, then the candidate with the least votes
is eliminated and their votes are redistributed to whoever their
voters put as their second preference. This process is repeated
until all the seats in the constituency have been filled

The advantage of this system is that it can ensure highly

proportional outcomes. This system is criticised for making it
difficult to ensure a strong and stable government. It is also
argued that intra-party competition may be divisive and may
have a negative impact on policy making. This system also may
allow members to evade their constituency responsibilities
because there is no direct link between the candidates and
their voters as they are from multi-member constituencies.

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Another form is Part list system, in which voters cast their votes
for a political party rather than for individual candidates, seats
in the legislature are then allocated to parties based on the
proportion of votes they receive. This system is mainly
practiced in countries like Israel, Brazil, Finland, etc. The major
criticisms this system faced is it provides weaker connection
between the candidate and voters.

3. MIXED REPRESENTATION
SYSTEMS

Mixed representation electoral systems combine aspects of

both majoritarian and proportional representation (PR) methods
to create a balanced approach to representation. These
systems aim to retain the strong geographic ties of majoritarian
systems, where representatives are elected from specific
constituencies, while also ensuring a degree of proportionality
in the overall composition of the legislature. This helps prevent
extreme distortions where a party with fewer votes could end
up with a disproportionately large share of seats, a common
issue in purely majoritarian systems. At the same time, it
avoids some of the drawbacks of pure proportional
representation, such as weak local representation or
fragmented legislatures.

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One of the most well-known types of mixed representation is
Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP), which is used in
countries like Germany and New Zealand. Under MMP, voters
typically have two votes—one for a candidate in their local
district and another for a political party. While the local district
winners are elected through a majoritarian method (such as
first-past-the-post), additional seats are allocated based on the
party vote to ensure the final composition of the legislature
closely reflects the overall party support. This system provides
both local accountability and proportional fairness, making it a
popular model in countries seeking a balance between the two
principles.

Another form of mixed representation is Parallel Voting, also

known as Mixed-Member Majoritarian (MMM), which is
used in countries like Japan and Russia. Like MMP, voters cast
separate votes for district candidates and for party lists.
However, in parallel systems, the proportional seats do not
correct distortions from the majoritarian seats; instead, they
are calculated separately. As a result, parallel voting tends to
produce less proportional outcomes compared to MMP, often
favouring larger parties while still giving smaller parties some
representation through the proportional component.

WOMEN AND THEIR ROLE IN

ELECTORAL PROCESS
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Women play a crucial role in the electoral process, both as
voters and as political leaders. Their participation is essential
for the functioning of a representative democracy, ensuring
that policies reflect the needs and perspectives of the entire
population. But to enjoy the current benefits women have
struggled and fought long battles over the years.

Women’s suffrage which is universal today has been achieved

as a result of vigorous movements in the USA, United Kingdom,
France and other western liberal countries. It was only in 1894
in New Zealand when women were enfranchised for the first
time. This was followed closely by Australia. Norway and
Finland granted the right to vote to women in 1914 while the
USA and United Kingdom granted franchise to women as late as
1920 and 1928 respectively.

Beyond voting, women play a vital role as candidates and

policymakers. Greater female representation in legislatures
leads to more inclusive governance and policies that address
diverse social and economic issues. Quotas and affirmative
action policies in several countries have helped increase
women’s political representation, yet challenges like gender-
based violence in politics, lack of funding, and societal biases
continue to hinder progress. Despite these barriers, women
leaders have made significant strides, proving their capability
in governance at local, national, and international levels.
Financial independence and education are the two factors that
contributed to this progress in political participation of woman.

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But still across the globe in many countries women struggle to
reach the forefront of political processes.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, electoral systems play a fundamental role in
shaping the structure and effectiveness of democratic
governance. Different systems, whether majoritarian,
proportional, or mixed, influence how votes are translated into
political representation, impacting party dynamics, government
stability, and voter engagement. A well-designed system can
enhance political stability, encourage diverse representation,
and strengthen public trust in democracy. As societies evolve,
electoral reforms remain essential to addressing emerging
challenges and ensuring that electoral processes continue to
reflect the will of the people effectively. And the struggles of
women in political process still remain to continue.