Minority Representation

If 51% of voters in every single constituency across the country belong to the same group, a simple majority system could, in theory, give that group every single seat in the legislature, leaving the other 49% with no representation at all. Minority representation is the set of devices designed to stop exactly that outcome.

In two minutes

Minority representation refers to devices designed to ensure that smaller communities — who would otherwise be permanently outvoted under a simple majority, winner-take-all system — secure some genuine voice in the legislature, through methods ranging from reserved seats to cumulative or limited voting to full proportional representation.

The rest of this chapter

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