Proportional Representation

First-Past-The-Post (Simple majority system)

Proportional Representation

Geographical unit

• Country is divided into small geographical units called constituencies or districts.

• Large geographical areas are demarcated as constituencies; the entire country may be a single constituency.

Representation

• Every constituency elects one representative.

• More than one representative may be elected from one constituency

Voting Process

• Voter votes for a candidate.

• Voter votes for the party 

Seat Distribution

• A party may get more seats than votes in the legislature.
• The winning candidate may not secure the majority (50%+1) of votes.

• Every party gets seats in the legislature in proportion to the percentage of votes it receives.

Examples

• U.S., U.K., Canada, India (Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies).

• Israel, Netherlands.

Benefits

• Simple to understand for common voters.
• Facilitates the formation of a stable government.
• Encourages voters from different social groups to come together to win an election in a locality.

• Ensures representation of all parties based on their vote share.
• Fairer treatment of minority parties and independent candidates.
• Fewer votes are wasted as more people’s preferences are taken into account.

Concerns

• Over or under-representation of political parties compared to their vote share.
• Does not ensure due representation for minorities (small groups).

• Can lead to fragmented legislatures with multiple small parties.
• May result in coalition governments which can be less stable in parliamentary democracy.