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Proportional representation (PR) refers to any type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (political parties) among voters.
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proportional representation, electoral system that seeks to create a representative body that reflects the overall distribution of public support for each political party. Where majority or plurality systems effectively reward strong parties and penalize weak ones by providing the representation of a whole constituency to a single candidate who may...
Advocates for proportional representation argue that an election is like a census of opinion as to how the country should be governed, and only if an assembly represents the full diversity of opinion within a country can its decisions be regarded as legitimate. For example, proponents maintain that the plurality system can produce unrepresentative, minority governments, such as in the United Kingdom, where the two major parties governed the country for the last three decades of the 20th century with little more than 40 percent of the votes. The proportional system also is suggested as a means of redressing the possible anomaly arising under majority or plurality systems whereby a party may win more seats with fewer popular votes than its opponents, as occurred in the British elections of 1951 and February 1974.
Critics of proportional representation contend that in an election a country is making a decision, and the function of the electoral system is to achieve a consensus rather than a census of opinion. Opponents argue further that, by making it possible for small parties to be represented, proportional representation encourages the formation of splinter parties that can result in weak and unstable government.
Learn about the electoral system that reflects the distribution of public support for each political party. Find out the benefits, types, examples, and debates of proportional representation in various countries.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Dec 5, 2023 · Learn how proportional representation is an electoral system that elects multiple representatives in each district in proportion to the number of votes. Compare it with winner-take-all and explore its benefits, varieties, and challenges for the U.S.
Nov 18, 2023 · Supporters say proportional representation could help temper the rise of political extremism, eliminate the threat of gerrymandering and ensure the fair representation of people of color, as...
- Hansi Lo Wang
Proportional representation is an electoral system in which the number of seats held by a particular political party in a legislature is directly determined by the number of votes the political party's candidates receive in a given election.
Learn the basic principles and types of PR systems, which ensure fair representation for all voters and groups in society. Compare party list voting, mixed-member proportional voting, and single transferable vote systems with examples and diagrams.
Learn what proportional representation means and how it works in different voting systems. Find out why the ERS advocates for a more proportional way of electing MPs in the UK.
