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Recently their have been a number of posts regarding the merits of open versus closed lists for list PR. I dislike closed lists and feel that voters not parties should decide which individuals on a list are elected. However the fact that in an open list system a vote counts both for an individual and a party list can produce results unintended by the voters. Take the following example:<BR>
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3 parties ( A, B and C) are contesting a 5 seat district. Each party puts up a full slate of 5 candidates. Each voter has 3 votes. 100,000 electors vote, each voter casts 3 votes.<BR>
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31% of the voters support party A ( 31,000 voters)<BR>
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29% of the voters support party B (29,000 voters)<BR>
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40% of the voters support party C (40,000 voters)<BR>
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One of the candidates of party B ( B1 ) is a well respected local politician who is liked by many of party A's supporters. Another of party B's candidates ( B2 ) is very antagonistic to party A.<BR>
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20% of party A's supporters (6200) vote for candidate B1 and two of their own party's candidates.<BR>
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B1 is also extremely popular with party B supporters and receives one vote from almost all of party B's supporters.<BR>
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Votes received by the candidates of party A and party B are as follows:<BR>
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A1 26800 B1 34000<BR>
A2 21000 B2 18000<BR>
A3 16000 B3 16200<BR>
A4 12000 B4 15000<BR>
A5 11000 B5 10000<BR>
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Total votes received by each party are as follows: party A 86800, party B 93200,<BR>
party C 120000.<BR>
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The D'Hondt highest average formula is used to allocate the seats: <BR>
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Party A 1 seat, party B 2 seats, party C 2 seats. Seats are allocated to the candidates on each list who receive the greatest number of votes.<BR>
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Party B elects candidates B1 and B2.<BR>
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What would have happened if the 6200 party A supporters hadn't decided to vote for B1 and had voted for 3 candidates on their own party's list?<BR>
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The votes for each party would have been as follows: party A 93000, party B 87000, party C 120000. Party A would have obtained 2 seats, party B 1 seat and party C 2 seats.<BR>
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The votes for party B candidates would have been as follows:<BR>
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B1 27800<BR>
B2 18000<BR>
B3 16200<BR>
B4 15000<BR>
B5 10000<BR>
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Candidate B1 the candidate who obtained the extra 6200 from party A and who party A supporters voted for is still elected. B2 who they don't like is now defeated.<BR>
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By voting for a candidate they liked on another list party A's supporters have given that list enough extra votes to elect an additional member B2 ( who they don't like ) and reduced the number of seats obtained by their own party from 2 to 1.<BR>
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Because a vote counts for both a candidate and a party voting for candidates on different lists can result in situations like the above unintended by the voters and objectionable to them.<BR>
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The example given above was based on a situation that occurred in the French Fourth Republic in which Communist voters cross voting for Socialists in an attempt to defeat the candidate who headed the Communist list succeeded in giving the Socialist list just enough votes to elect a vehemently anti-Communist Socialist.<BR>
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If you must use list PR my preferred type of list is the 'loose' list. A voter can only vote for one party list but can vary the order of candidates on that list ( for example in say an 8 member district the voter votes for one list and up to 4 candidates on that list. The votes for the party lists are used to allocate the seats between parties and the votes for the candidates to determine who on the list is elected).<BR>
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Alternatively you could always use STV where votes only count for the candidates you vote for, not for candidates of the same party who you don't like and didn't vote for.<BR>
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David Gamble</FONT></HTML>