The Proportional Electoral System is an electoral system where the political parties get as much representation (number of seats) in the legislature as much share of votes they get in the elections.
Proportional representation (PR) is a voting system that aims to fairly represent political parties based on their share of the vote. Unlike the First Past the Post (FPTP) system, Proportional Representation ensures that every vote counts towards allocating seats in Parliament or other elected bodies.
Types of Proportional Representation in India
- Single Transferable Vote (STV)
- The single transferable vote allows a voter to rank his/her candidate in order of preference, i.e., by providing backup references and casting only one vote.
- Proportional Representation By Single Transferable Vote enables voters to choose the most preferred candidate of the party and vote for independent candidates.
- The President of India is elected through the PR system with a single transferable vote (STV), where a secret ballot system is used to elect the President. The electoral college, which consists of the Legislative Assemblies of the States, Council of States, and members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, elects the Indian president through a proportional representation system utilizing an STV.
- Party-list PR
- It is a type of Proportional representation where the political parties define the candidate list, and voters vote for a list.
- The list can be closed or opened. The open list allows voters to indicate individual candidate preferences and vote for independent candidates.
- Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP)
- It is a mixed system of election process where the registered votes are taken into consideration for the local elections and for the total number of votes of a party as well.
- There are instances where in some of these systems, the voters are entitled to two kinds of votes.
- One vote is meant for the political party and one for a single representative (MP) for their constituency.
- New Zealand, South Korea, and Germany are examples of countries where MMP is operational.
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Advantages of Proportional Representation System
- Firstly, PR ensures that every vote counts towards allocating seats in Parliament. This means that voters have a greater sense of participation in the democratic process.
- Secondly, PR allows for a more diverse and representative government. Smaller parties and minority groups are more likely to be represented under a PR system, which can lead to a more diverse range of perspectives and ideas in Parliament.
- Thirdly PR systems tend to be less prone to gerrymandering, as the allocation of seats is based on the percentage of votes received rather than arbitrary constituency boundaries.
Gerrymandering
It is the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.
Disadvantages of Proportional Representation
- One of the main criticisms of PR systems is that they can lead to unstable governments. As smaller parties and minority groups are more likely to be represented, it can be difficult to form stable coalitions and govern effectively.
- Secondly, PR systems can be more complex than FPTP systems, making them more difficult for voters to understand and for governments to implement.
- Thirdly, it is expensive in nature as it becomes costly to operate. A majority of the amount and resources is utilized to conduct elections.
| FPTP | Proportional Representation (PR system) |
| A candidate who gets one vote more than the other candidate in a constituency is a winner in First Past the Post (FPTP) system. It is also known as the simple majority system. | Proportional representation (PR) is a political system in which the number of seats won by a political party or group should be proportionate to the number of votes received, i.e., seats are assigned per the number of votes received. |
| In FPTP, the division of the country is done into geographical units known as constituencies. | In the PR system, the large geographical areas are said to be known as constituencies. |
| First Past the Post is used in direct elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. | Proportional representation is used to elect the President of India, Vice President, members of the Rajya Sabha, etc. |
| Votes are cast for candidates in FPTP. | Votes are cast for the party in the PR system. |
