The following description is copied from the BC Citizens’ Assembly: Fact Sheet #8 – Majority Systems
Majority Systems
Under the majority electoral system, a candidate must receive more than 50 per cent – a majority– of the vote to be elected. When there are only two contestants in an election, unless there is a tie, one will inevitably win with a majority of votes.
But, when there are more than two in the race, it is unusual for one candidate to get more than 50 per cent of the voter support right away. In order for a candidate to attain a majority in this case, a process is needed to eliminate the least popular candidates and redistribute their votes to the remaining candidates.
There are two ways to redistribute voter support in majority systems:
- A second round of voting – or run-off election – or
- Through a system where voters rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference – sometimes called an alternative vote
Second ballot
Under this version of the majority system, voters are often required to vote more than once. Each time they vote, they are able to vote for only one candidate. France currently uses this system to elect members to its National Assembly.
Ballot – round #1
On the first round of elections, if a candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the votes in his/her electoral district, that candidate is declared elected. If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the votes on the first ballot, a second vote is required, perhaps several days later.
Ballot – round #2
In most cases, in this second round of voting, only the two candidates who received the most votes on the first ballot in each electoral district can compete. In this way, successful candidates are elected with a majority.
Alternative vote (AV)
Under AV, there is only one round of voting, but there may be several rounds of counting the votes. Rather than voting for just one candidate, voters are able to rank the candidates – “1” indicating first preference, “2” indicating second preference, and so on. This is called a preferential ballot. AV was used in BC in the 1952 and 1953 provincial elections.
Counting – round #1
On the first round of counting, all first-preference votes are counted. If a candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the first-preference votes, that candidate is declared elected.
Counting – round #2
If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of first-preference votes, the candidate with the least number of first preferences is removed from the race. Then the excluded candidate’s ballots are sorted and reallocated to the other candidates based on the second preferences indicated on those ballots.
Counting – round #3 (and so on)
If no candidate gains a majority after this redistribution, this process of eliminating a candidate and redistributing his/her votes is repeated until one of the remaining candidates gains a majority.
District magnitude (DM)
The district magnitude is the number of representatives that can be elected – or the “seats” – in an electoral district. The DM varies, but is often one. DM can vary from electoral district to electoral district. In majority systems, as the DM increases beyond one, the system can produce very disproportionate results.
Ballot structure
As discussed, the ballots for second ballot and AV systems are very different.
Formula
Votes are counted on a district-by-district basis for individual candidates, not parties.
How the system works
The key to how majority electoral systems work is the role of minor parties. By forcing the electorate to make majority choices, these systems reinforce the dominance of large parties, but give the voters who support small parties some say in the choice of which large parties will win the most seats.
Small parties have little chance of electing candidates but may be able to influence policy by “trading” their voters’ second preferences for policy commitments from one of the large parties – that is they align themselves with a larger party and encourage their voters to select that larger party as their second preference in exchange for policy concessions.
The following description is copied from the Electoral Reform Society – UK
Alternative Vote
Alternative Vote, also known as Instant Runoff Voting or Ranked Choice Voting
AV is not proportional representation and in certain electoral conditions, such as the 2015 General Election, can produce a more disproportional result than First Past the Post (FPTP).
How does the Alternative Vote work?
The Alternative Vote (AV) is a preferential system where the voter ranks the candidates in order of preference.
Each voter has one vote, but rather than an X, they put a ‘1’ by their first choice a ‘2’ by their second choice, and so on, until they no longer wish to express any further preferences or run out of candidates.
Candidates are elected outright if they gain more than half the votes as first preferences. If not, the candidate who lost (the one with least first preferences) is eliminated and their votes move to the second preference marked on the ballot papers. This process continues until one candidate has half of the votes and is elected.
Pros and cons of the Alternative Vote
The case for AV
All MPs would have the support of a majority of their voters. Following the 2010 General Election, two thirds of the MPs elected lacked majority support, the highest figure in British political history.
It retains the same constituencies, meaning no need to redraw boundaries, and no overt erosion of the constituency-MP link.
It penalises extremist parties, who are unlikely to gain many second-preference votes.
It encourages candidates to chase second- and third-preferences, which lessens the need for negative campaigning (one doesn’t want to alienate the supporters of another candidate whose second preferences one wants) and rewards broad-church policies.
It reduces the need for tactical voting. Electors can vote for their first-choice candidate without fear of wasting their vote.
It reduces the number of “safe seats” where the election result is a forgone conclusion
The arguments against AV
AV is not proportional representation and in certain electoral conditions, such as landslides, can produce a more disproportional result than First Past the Post (FPTP)
In close three-way races the “compromise” candidate could be defeated in the first round even though they may be more broadly acceptable to the electorate than the top two candidates.
Lower preferences can potentially throw up a “lowest common denominator” winner without much positive support of their own.
A voting system that allows voters to rank candidates is prone to so-called ‘Donkey voting’, where voters vote for candidates in the order they appear on the ballot.