Verified Document

American Presidential Election Process Term Paper

Characteristically, each voter is given the alternative of casting votes separately in each tier, which in this study we refer to as nominal vote and the list vote. On the other hand, there are instances wherein the voter gives only a nominal vote. In such instances allotment of assembly-seats in the list-tier is founded on a combined-total of nominal-votes on party-basis (Cain, 1987). The Nominal Tier

Typically the nominal tier comprises of single-seat districts. In single-seat districts the allotment model is normally "plurality," although in some Nominal Tier systems there is a "runoff," needed in any district wherein there is no majority in the first-round. One can count countries like Albania, Georgia, Hungary, and Lithuania as states where there is a runoff. Similarly, there have been mixed-systems with multiple-seat nominal-tier districts, which include South Korea during the 1987 election and some districts in Venezuela during the 1998 election. The main point here is that for an electoral system to meet the criteria as mixed system, there has got to be a tier wherein nominal votes is the only method with which politicians win seats in this tier (Dunleavy and Margetts, 1999).

Nominal models are normally majoritarian; however, it is not necessary for them to be majoritarian. For case in point, the single-nontransferable-vote is an entirely nominal model. However, it is one that is explained in the literature as semi-proportional due to its inclination to sanction some seats which are gained by comparatively small political groups (Lijphart 1999). The perfect illustration for this is Japan, where the upper house carries on to utilize single-nontransferable-vote in a few districts; for the reason that there is, in addition, an overlying national-list PR tier, this electoral system is considered to be a mixed system. In addition, Taiwan has a mixed system with single-nontransferable-vote in the nominal tier. Although Despite the fact that both of these systems fit in the wider family of mixed systems, the utilization of a semi-proportional instead of a majoritarian model for the nominal tier positions them in a dissimilar part of the family from those that characterize the present "current" of electoral transformation.

The List Tier mixed electoral system has got to, in addition, comprise a tier of members chosen from party lists that overlies the nominal tier. Majority of the list systems utilize a PR model, such as d'Hondt divisors or the simple quota and largest remainders (Lijphart 1999). As noted by Reynolds (1999; pg 90 & 91):

The formula used to calculate the allocation of seats after the votes have been counted can also have a marginal effect. Formulas can be either largest remainder (Hare or Droop) or highest average (D'Hondt or SainteLagu) methods. The D'Hondt formula is the least proportional and often gives a slight bonus to the largest parties. Hare and Sainte-Lagu are the most proportional and lean towards favouring the smaller parties. The results of the Droop system fall somewhere in between. Of more importance to overall PR results are district magnitudes and the threshold for representation. The greater the number of representatives to be elected from a district, and the lower the imposed threshold of representation, the more proportional the electoral system will be and the greater chance small minority parties will have of gaining representation. In Israel, the imposed threshold is 1.5 per cent. In Germany, it is 5 per cent. In the Seychelles, in 1993, a 9 per cent threshold was imposed for the 33 PR seats. and, in Turkey (1983-91), the threshold was 10 per cent. In South Africa in 1994, there was no legal threshold for representation and the African Christian Democratic Party won two seats with only 0.45 per cent of the national vote. Other important choices involve the drawing of district boundaries; how parties constitute their PR lists; the complexity of the ballot paper (i.e. The range of choice given to the voter -- between parties, or between candidates and parties); the size of parliament; and arrangements for electoral, 'vote-pooling', coalitions between parties, known as apparentement."

On the other hand, less recognizable list-majoritarian electoral systems exist. The American Electoral College is a classic model, where every American State works as a multi-seat district. Every candidate has a line up of electorates for each state, and when a contender wins the plurality of the state's vote his entire line up is chosen. There have been a number of instances of mixed electoral systems with list tiers that are partly majoritarian, at least. Cases comprise a number of former systems of South Korea and Mexico, as well as, the present electoral systems of Chad and Cameroon (Massicotte and Blais 1999).

The Proposed Electoral System for United States

We propose that...

Also we propose that the United States should employ a closed list (it is currently the most common PR list tier), in which the parties themselves grade the candidates before the election. The opinion of the voters is not considered in the process of choosing the candidates for general election. While this system will take away the power of the people to vote for candidates who will then run for elections, it will remove a lot of bias currently existent in the voting of candidates. Furthermore, we propose that the minority and women are given a fair representation in the candidates who are chosen to run for elections. This will help minimize the inequality, which is currently overshadowing the American Electoral College.
As mentioned above, mixed systems comprise "majoritarian principles," as well as, "proportional principles" in one electoral system. On the other hand, despite the combination of principles, majority of the mixed systems lean in the direction of either majoritarian-principle or proportional-principle in their overall results. Therefore, one has to recognize two wide-ranging subtypes, which we will refer to as mixed-majoritarian (MM) and mixed proportional (MP). Here the primary variable in mixed electoral systems that disconnects MM and MP systems is either the presence or absence of a "connection" between tiers. In the case of disconnected tiers, then the characteristic majoritarian advancement gained by a big party in the nominal-tier is unlikely to be rubbed out by proportional allotment from the list-tier. Therefore, the standards behind majoritarian systems, providing a clear-cut advantage to a large party, remains in the MM systems. Alternatively, MP systems give a great deal of priority to the list-PR tier, such that big parties do not gain unfair advantage in overall seat allotment, or gain a smaller one than they would have gained in an MM system (Massicotte and Blais, 1999).

Connection" signifies whether votes are being reallocated from the nominal-tier to the list-tier, or whether the proportion of list seats a party gets is founded on the number of nominal-tier seats it has gained. At one end, both these tiers are considered to be similar; that is to say, there is no connection amid tiers in the allotment of seats to parties. Therefore, list-votes, as well as, seats of the parties are not attuned on the votes casted or seats gained in the nominal-tier. A party in a similar mixed system merely acquires its seats in the nominal-tier and includes in them whatever seats it gains in the list tier (Massicotte and Blais, 1999). Political parties representing the American people should be given the opportunity to contest for elections in the aforementioned "connection" model between Nominal and List Tiers.

Bibliogrpahy

Cain, B.E., Ferejohn, J.A., and Fiorina, M.P. The Personal Vote: Constituency Service and Electoral Independence. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987.

Dulio, D.A. Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America. The Historian. 67. 4, 2005.

Dunleavy, P. And Margetts, H. Mixed Electoral Systems in Britain and the Jenkins Commission on Electoral Reform. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 1: 12-38, 1999.

Farrell, D. Comparing Electoral Systems. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall, 1997.

Farrell, D. Electoral Systems. Palgrave Macmillan, 2001.

Held, D. Models of Democracy. Stanford University Press, 1997.

Johnpoll, B.K, Rule, W, Zimmerman, W.J. Electoral Systems in Comparative Perspective: Their Impact on Women and Minorities. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT, 1994.

Kuroda, T. The Origins of the Twelfth Amendment: The Electoral College in the Early Republic, 1787-1804. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT, 1994.

Lijphart, a. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-six Countries. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Mandle, J and Mandle, J. Elections as a Public Good. Challenge. 42, 5, 1999.

Massicotte and Blais, a. Mixed Electoral Systems: A Conceptual and Empirical Survey. Electoral Studies, 18: 341-66, 1999.

Nohlen, D Two Incompatible Principles of Representation." In a. Lijphart and B. Grofman (eds.), Choosing an Electoral System: Issues and Alternatives. New York: Praeger, 1984.

Reynolds, a. Electoral Systems and Democratization in Southern Africa. Oxford University Press, 1999.

Schiemann, J.W. Risk, Radicalism, and Regime Change: Institutional Choice in Hungary, 1989." Ph.D. thesis, Columbia University, 1999.

Taagepera, R., and Shugart, M.S. Seats and Votes:…

Sources used in this document:
Schiemann, J.W. Risk, Radicalism, and Regime Change: Institutional Choice in Hungary, 1989." Ph.D. thesis, Columbia University, 1999.

Taagepera, R., and Shugart, M.S. Seats and Votes: The Effects and Determinants of Electoral Systems. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989.

2008 Election
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

2012 United States Presidential Election
Words: 2264 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

Election The results of nearly every American presidential election in the past century have reverberated around the world. The same is true for this election, the 2012 presidential race between President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and a handful of under-represented third party candidates. This paper outlines some of the core issues that were on the table this election cycle. These are the main issues that the two candidates focused on, and

Presidential Election Campaign
Words: 2603 Length: 7 Document Type: Dissertation or Thesis complete

Presidential Campaign revolves under the presidential leadership from its formation. The presidential candidate has to undergo an electoral process so that they are declared winners. The nation has faced challenges like the world wars and even the civil wars due to differences in ideologies. The paper is going to cover U.S. political campaign of President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 as well as how this campaign differs from that of 1912? U.S.

Presidential Election Comparison of Candidates
Words: 3328 Length: 12 Document Type: Thesis

A primary is another system of electing delegates with a mandate to vote for a given candidate. Unlike caucuses, primaries are votes conducted by the government on behalf of the political party. This vote can be open, closed, semi-closed or semi-open. Open primaries allow citizens to vote in both parties' primaries; semi-closed only the primary for the party you belong to (independents may vote in these as well) and in

Presidential Election & TV the
Words: 4653 Length: 16 Document Type: Term Paper

Also, viewers may perceive the negative advertising as an infringement upon their right to decide for themselves. Such a perception may result in reactance, a boomerang effect in which the individual reacts in a manner opposite to the persuader's intention. What these studies show, then, is that a candidate is never going to know how for sure how a negative ad may impact the voters. In the long run,

How the Election Process Is Rigged
Words: 625 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Voting rights in the U.S. has reached a critical stage as the Establishment becomes more concerned with the threat of outsider takeover. Recent years have seen everything from gerrymandering to heightened coordination among political elites (like Mitch McConnell), media Establishment leaders (like William Kristol), and business moguls (like Jeff Bezos) in an effort to control the voting outcomes of primaries (Ron Paul was blocked by the RNC in 2012 and

American Democracy Voter Turnout in 1988 American
Words: 3140 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

American Democracy Voter Turnout in 1988 American Presidential Election: Democracy is for the people and by the people and it can be successful if people participate effectively in electing their representatives. In 1988, presidential elections were held in United States of America. Statistics shows that voter turnout for this presidential election was very low. Voter turnout was as low as 50.1%. In spite of an increasing trend of voter turnouts in the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now