Strategic Voting, Party Activity, and Candidate Effects: Testing Explanations for Split Voting in New Zealand’S New Mixed System Jeffrey A
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Voters' Victory?
Voters’ Victory? New Zealand’s First Election Under Proportional Representation Edited by JACK VOWLES PETER AIMER SUSAN BANDUCCI AND JEFFREY KARP AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY PRESS First published 1998 AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY PRESS University of Auckland Private Bag 92019 Auckland © The contributors, 1998 This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without the prior permission of Auckland University Press. ISBN 1 86940 180 8 Printed by Wright and Carman, Welington CONTENTS Tables and Figures vi Preface xi 1 Expectations of Change Jack Vowles, Peter Aimer, Susan Banducci and Jeffrey Karp 1 2 Countdown to MMP Jack Vowles 12 3 A New Post-MMP Party System? Jack Vowles 28 4 Old and New Party Choices Peter Aimer 48 5 Issues, Leaders, and the Campaign Richard Johnston 65 6 Campaign Activities and Marginality: The Transition to MMP Campaigns David Denemark 81 7 Vote Splitting Under MMP Susan Banducci, Jeffrey Karp and Jack Vowles 101 8 Coalition Government: The People’s Choice? Raymond Miller 120 9 Representation Under a Proportional System Susan Banducci and Jeffrey Karp 135 10 Voter Satisfaction After Electoral System Change Jeffrey Karp and Susan Banducci 153 11 Realignment? Maori and the 1996 Election Ann Sullivan and Jack Vowles 171 12 Voter Rationality and the Advent of MMP Jack Vowles, Peter Aimer, Susan Banducci and Jeffrey Karp 192 Appendix A: 1996 NZES: Research Design and Implementation 212 Appendix -
Are Condorcet and Minimax Voting Systems the Best?1
1 Are Condorcet and Minimax Voting Systems the Best?1 Richard B. Darlington Cornell University Abstract For decades, the minimax voting system was well known to experts on voting systems, but was not widely considered to be one of the best systems. But in recent years, two important experts, Nicolaus Tideman and Andrew Myers, have both recognized minimax as one of the best systems. I agree with that. This paper presents my own reasons for preferring minimax. The paper explicitly discusses about 20 systems. Comments invited. [email protected] Copyright Richard B. Darlington May be distributed free for non-commercial purposes Keywords Voting system Condorcet Minimax 1. Many thanks to Nicolaus Tideman, Andrew Myers, Sharon Weinberg, Eduardo Marchena, my wife Betsy Darlington, and my daughter Lois Darlington, all of whom contributed many valuable suggestions. 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction and summary 3 2. The variety of voting systems 4 3. Some electoral criteria violated by minimax’s competitors 6 Monotonicity 7 Strategic voting 7 Completeness 7 Simplicity 8 Ease of voting 8 Resistance to vote-splitting and spoiling 8 Straddling 8 Condorcet consistency (CC) 8 4. Dismissing eight criteria violated by minimax 9 4.1 The absolute loser, Condorcet loser, and preference inversion criteria 9 4.2 Three anti-manipulation criteria 10 4.3 SCC/IIA 11 4.4 Multiple districts 12 5. Simulation studies on voting systems 13 5.1. Why our computer simulations use spatial models of voter behavior 13 5.2 Four computer simulations 15 5.2.1 Features and purposes of the studies 15 5.2.2 Further description of the studies 16 5.2.3 Results and discussion 18 6. -
The Economic Vote in New Zealand an Analysis of How Macroeconomic Conditions and Perceptions of the Economy Affect Voter Behaviour
The Economic Vote in New Zealand An analysis of how macroeconomic conditions and perceptions of the economy affect voter behaviour Luke Gardener Abstract A large body of research suggests the performance of the economy has a significant effect on voter behaviour. However, there has been limited analysis of this issue in relation to New Zealand. This thesis seeks to correct this gap in the literature. It provides a review of the theoretical support for economic voting theory and discusses three key methods of analysis: vote functions, popularity functions, and the individual-level study. It undertakes a macro-popularity function analysis to determine the effect of impartial macroeconomic conditions on voter behaviour in New Zealand between 1978 and 2015. This is followed by a micro-individual analysis that determines the effect perceptions of the economy have on voter behaviour in New Zealand between 2002 and 2014. It finds the evidence to support economic voting in New Zealand is mixed. The macro-analysis suggests macroeconomic conditions have a minimal to moderate effect on voter behaviour. The micro- analysis finds perceptions of the economy have a stronger effect, but that partisanship is a far more important indicator of vote choice. i Acknowledgments There are many people that helped me complete this thesis; far too many to list on a single page. However, there are a number of people that provided significant support I would like to name individually. David Farrar. David very generously shared with me a compiled database of Heylen Research Centre and Colmar Brunton polls. Without this, the time period I would have been able to examine would have been reduced significantly. -
Lessons on Voting Reform from Britian's First Pr Elections
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW: LESSONS ON VOTING REFORM FROM BRITIAN'S FIRST PR ELECTIONS by Philip Cowley, University of Hull John Curtice, Strathclyde UniversityICREST Stephen Lochore, University of Hull Ben Seyd, The Constitution Unit April 2001 WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW: LESSONS ON VOTING REFORM FROM BRITIAN'S FIRST PR ELECTIONS Published by The Constitution Unit School of Public Policy UCL (University College London) 29/30 Tavistock Square London WClH 9QU Tel: 020 7679 4977 Fax: 020 7679 4978 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/ 0 The Constitution Unit. UCL 200 1 This report is sold subject ot the condition that is shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. First published April 2001 Contents Introduction ................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ..................................................................................4 Voters' attitudes to the new electoral systems ...........................................................4 Voters' behaviour under new electoral systems ......................................................... 4 Once elected .... The effect of PR on the Scottish Parliament in Practice ..................5 Voter Attitudes to the New Electoral Systems ............................................6 -
Strategic Coalition Voting: Evidence from Austria Meffert, Michael F.; Gschwend, Thomas
www.ssoar.info Strategic coalition voting: evidence from Austria Meffert, Michael F.; Gschwend, Thomas Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Zur Verfügung gestellt in Kooperation mit / provided in cooperation with: SSG Sozialwissenschaften, USB Köln Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Meffert, M. F., & Gschwend, T. (2010). Strategic coalition voting: evidence from Austria. Electoral Studies, 29(3), 339-349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2010.03.005 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine This document is made available under Deposit Licence (No Weiterverbreitung - keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Redistribution - no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, non- Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, transferable, individual and limited right to using this document. persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses This document is solely intended for your personal, non- Dokuments. Dieses Dokument ist ausschließlich für commercial use. All of the copies of this documents must retain den persönlichen, nicht-kommerziellen Gebrauch bestimmt. all copyright information and other information regarding legal Auf sämtlichen Kopien dieses Dokuments müssen alle protection. You are not allowed to alter this document in any Urheberrechtshinweise und sonstigen Hinweise auf gesetzlichen way, to copy it for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the Schutz beibehalten werden. Sie dürfen dieses Dokument document in public, to perform, distribute or otherwise use the nicht in irgendeiner Weise abändern, noch dürfen Sie document in public. dieses Dokument für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke By using this particular document, you accept the above-stated vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, aufführen, vertreiben oder conditions of use. anderweitig nutzen. Mit der Verwendung dieses Dokuments erkennen Sie die Nutzungsbedingungen an. -
April 7, 2021 To: Representative Mark Meek, Chair House Special
The League of Women Voters of Oregon is a 101-year-old grassroots nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. We envision informed Oregonians participating in a fully accessible, responsive, and transparent government to achieve the common good. LWVOR Legislative Action is based on advocacy positions formed through studies and member consensus. The League never supports or opposes any candidate or political party. April 7, 2021 To: Representative Mark Meek, Chair House Special Committee On Modernizing the People’s Legislature Re: Hearing on Ranked Choice Voting Chair Meek, Vice-Chair Wallan and committee members, The League of Women Voters (LWV) at the national and state levels has long been interested in electoral system reforms as a way to achieve the greatest level of representation. In Oregon, we most recently conducted an in-depth two-year study (2016) to update our Election Methods Position. That position was (in part) the basis for a similar update to the LWV United States position in 2020. In League studies around the nation, our current system (called either ‘plurality’ or ‘First Past the Post’) where ‘whoever gets the most votes wins’ has been found the least-desirable of all electoral systems. The Oregon position is no different. It further lays out criteria for best systems; and states our support of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). Several of the related criteria are: • Encouraging voter participation and voter engagement. • Encouraging those with minority opinions to participate. • Promote sincere voting over strategic voting. • Discourage negative campaigning. For multi-seat elections (a.k.a. at-large or multi-winner elections), the LWV Oregon position currently supports several systems. -
The Many Faces of Strategic Voting
Revised Pages The Many Faces of Strategic Voting Strategic voting is classically defined as voting for one’s second pre- ferred option to prevent one’s least preferred option from winning when one’s first preference has no chance. Voters want their votes to be effective, and casting a ballot that will have no influence on an election is undesirable. Thus, some voters cast strategic ballots when they decide that doing so is useful. This edited volume includes case studies of strategic voting behavior in Israel, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom, providing a conceptual framework for understanding strategic voting behavior in all types of electoral systems. The classic definition explicitly considers strategic voting in a single race with at least three candidates and a single winner. This situation is more com- mon in electoral systems that have single- member districts that employ plurality or majoritarian electoral rules and have multiparty systems. Indeed, much of the literature on strategic voting to date has considered elections in Canada and the United Kingdom. This book contributes to a more general understanding of strategic voting behavior by tak- ing into account a wide variety of institutional contexts, such as single transferable vote rules, proportional representation, two- round elec- tions, and mixed electoral systems. Laura B. Stephenson is Professor of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario. John Aldrich is Pfizer- Pratt University Professor of Political Science at Duke University. André Blais is Professor of Political Science at the Université de Montréal. Revised Pages Revised Pages THE MANY FACES OF STRATEGIC VOTING Tactical Behavior in Electoral Systems Around the World Edited by Laura B. -
Vote Splitting
Vote Splitting: Who benefits from better The Root of Electoral Evils voting methods? Our current choose-one Plurality Voting method allows voters to express an opinion about only one candidate. This works fine—when there are only two candidates. Add a third, and you get vote splitting: the most similar candidates split their common supporters’ votes, and can lose to another less preferred Major-party supporters candidate—possibly even the least preferred! • Better primaries, without vote The Vote-Splitting Cycle What Makes a Good Voting Method splitting and spoilers A good voting method has several essential Fear of being a “spoiler” deters many candidates • Less negative campaigning, qualities, starting with the fundamental two: from entering the race, denying voters a real choice. more post-primary unity Often enough more candidates run anyway, forcing Accuracy and Simplicity. Over the expected voters to play a game: guessing how other voters range of election scenarios, the voting method • No minor-party spoilers will vote. For this they consider candidates’ “viabilty” must produce results that accurately reflect the — not only their qualifications, but their popularity, will of the electorate, at an acceptable logistical Minor-party supporters funding, and media support. Campaign money cost. To produce such results, we need three more becomes necessary not just to make candidates qualities: Expressiveness, Sincerity, and Equality. • Other parties see minor-party candidates as allies, not spoilers known, but to signal that they are serious. Facing Voters must be able and willing to express a the “wasted-vote dilemma,” many voters abandon reasonably full and sincere opinion, and the • Results reflect a party’s true their favorite candidates for the few who seem to presence of similar candidates should not hurt or support have the best chances — the bandwagon effect. -
Voting Rights Plan
Making Virginia Number One in the Nation for Voting Rights Summary Protecting the fundamental voting rights of Virginians is personal for Jenn McClellan. In 1901, when her great-grandfather Henry Davidson went to register to vote in Bibb County, Alabama, he was sub- jected to a challenging literacy test and ordered to find three white men to vouch for his character. Her great-grandmother was not even allowed to register to vote. Recently, Jenn found her father James McClellan’s poll tax receipt. That moment – coupled with the recent attempts by Republican state legis- latures across the country to restrict voting rights affirmed the on-going struggle for fair access and the urgent need to protect voting rights. A copy of the 1947 poll tax that Jenn McClellan’s father paid in Davidson County, TN. In Jenn’s 16 sessions in the legislature, she has driven and fought for generational progress in voter protections and rights. She helped reverse the GOP leader’s restrictive voter ID requirements in 2010 and seven restrictive Republican voter ID laws from 2013, expanded the list of accepted voter ID options, helped create no excuse absentee voting, extended the timeline for mailed absentee ballots, enabled permanent absentee voting by mail, created automatic voter registration and same day registration, and ended prison gerrymandering in the redistricting process. Jenn’s leadership in the Virginia General Assembly laid the foundation for generational progress in protecting Virginians’ right to vote. In 2021, Jenn passed the Voting Rights Act of Virginia. The Voting Rights Act of Virginia is modeled after the feder- al Voting Rights Act of 1965 and will protect all voters in the Commonwealth from suppression, discrim- ination and intimidation, and expand language access to voters for whom English is a second language. -
Scrutinizing Strategy
Scrutinizing Strategy The effect of coalition expectations on strategic voting in the Netherlands Arnal Kuntze 24-03-2016 Student number: 0591939 Supervisor: Dr. Jonas Lefevere Master Thesis Political Communication Graduate School of Communication University of Amsterdam 1 Introduction While cycling to the voting booth, Bert Bakker (36) deliberates on which party to vote for during the Dutch general elections. He doubts if a switch from his lifelong favourite, labour party PvdA, is necessary. These last few days he has read several news articles regarding possible future coalitions. According to the latest information the PvdA has absolutely no chance of governing after the elections. Especially the fact that the polls show that his second choice, social democratic party D66, is in a close battle to win a spot in the coalition with the right wing party PVV, his least preferred party, makes the choice even harder. Fifteen minutes and counting before he makes his final call. This case, while fictional, gives a small insight into how during the last decades the habits of the Western voter have changed significantly. As can be seen from the literature, a growing share of the electorate no longer feels connected to longstanding predispositions based on social divisions or identification with a particular party (Hansen et al., 2011; Irwin & Holsteyn, 2008; Meer et al., 2015; Meffert & Gschwend, 2011; Schmitt-Beck & Partheymüller, 2012). Whereas the classic voter had the tendency to engage in a lifelong relationship with a party, the modern-day voter seems to be more rational when choosing which party or candidate to vote for (Fischer, 2004; Meer et al., 2015). -
Improving Elections with Instant Runoff Voting
FAIRVOTE: THE CENTER FOR VOTING & DEMOCRACY | WWW.FAIRVOTE.ORG | (301) 270-4616 Improving Elections with Instant Runoff Voting Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) - Used for both government and private elections around the United States and the world, instant runoff voting is a simple election process used to avoid the expense, difficulties and shortcomings of runoff elections. Compared to the traditional “delayed” runoff, IRV saves taxpayers money, cuts the costs of running campaigns, elects public officials with higher voter turnout and encourages candidates to run less negative campaigns. How instant runoff voting works: • First round of counting: The voters rank their preferred candidate first and may also rank additional choices (second, third, etc.). In the first round of counting, the voters’ #1 choices are tallied. A candidate who receives enough first choices to win outright (typically a majority) is declared the winner. However, other candidates may have enough support to require a runoff – just as in traditional runoff systems. • Second round: If no one achieves a clear victory, the runoff occurs instantly. The candidate with the fewest votes is removed and the votes made for that candidate are redistributed using voters’ second choices. Other voters’ top choices remain the same. The redistributed votes are added to the counts of the candidates still in competition. The process is repeated until one candidate has majority support. The benefits: Instant runoff voting (IRV) would do everything the current runoff system does to ensure that the winner has popular support – but it does it in one election rather than two. • Saves localities, taxpayers and candidates money by holding only one election. -
Thresholds Quantifying Proportionality Criteria for Election Methods
THRESHOLDS QUANTIFYING PROPORTIONALITY CRITERIA FOR ELECTION METHODS SVANTE JANSON Abstract. We define several different thresholds for election methods by considering different scenarios, corresponding to different proportion- ality criteria that have been proposed by various authors. In particular, we reformulate the criteria known as DPC, PSC, JR, PJR, EJR in our setting. We consider multi-winner election methods of different types, using ballots with unordered lists of candidates or ordered lists, and for comparison also methods using only party lists. The thresholds are cal- culated for many different election methods. The considered methods include classical ones such as BV, SNTV and STV (with some results going back to e.g. Droop and Dodgson in the 19th century); we also study in detail several perhaps lesser known methods by Phragm´en and Thiele. There are also many cases left as open problems. Contents 1. Introduction 2 2. Notations and general definitions 5 2.1. Some notation 5 2.2. Proportionality thresholds 7 3. General properties 11 4. Party ballots 13 4.1. Unordered and ordered ballots 17 5. Unordered ballots: Block Vote, SNTV, Limited Vote, . 17 6. JR, PJR, EJR 24 7. Phragm´en’s and Thiele’s unordered methods 30 arXiv:1810.06377v1 [cs.GT] 12 Oct 2018 7.1. The party list case 30 7.2. Phragm´en’s method 30 7.3. Thiele’s optimization method 32 7.4. Thiele’s addition method 33 7.5. Thiele’s elimination method 41 7.6. Thiele’s optimization method with general weights 42 7.7. Thiele’s addition method with general weights 45 8.