Elections Worldwide

The structure of elections and a nation's choice of electoral system can have profound implications for the effectiveness of democratic governance. It is no surprise, then, that reformers in many nations continuously strive to improve the way their governments are elected. Most countries regularly reflect on how well their systems are working and consider structural improvements--and such changes are implemented more often than many casual observers may realize.

FairVote analyzes elections worldwide in an effort to illustrate the great variety of electoral systems that are already being used successfully and the wide array of reforms that are under consideration. While no one system is a panacea for every nation's electoral ills, FairVote applies its principles of fair representation and meaningful choices for all voters to recommend solutions to fledgling and well-established democracies alike. 

Cataloged below are the extensive reports and blogs that FairVote has produced studying recent international elections.

 

International Presidential Elections

In elections with one winner--for example, an executive office such as president--we support majority voting systems, whether by a traditional runoff election or by instant runoff voting. Majority systems are the norm in nations with presidential elections, as revealed in our 2006 report.

International Legislative Elections

For legislative elections, we believe non-winner-take-all voting methods--whether they be fully proportional representation systems or systems balancing proportionality with geographic representation--most reliably provide voter choice, fair representation and accountability. As Professor Mark Jones of Rice University has demonstrated, proportional methods are used by most robust democracies in the world today. But the unique political contexts of each country matter, and we believe that it is crucial to study these details closely before prescribing any particular electoral reform.

See FairVote's interactive map of the electoral systems used by the lower houses of the world's legislatures here.

 

International Reports

  • International Snapshot: Japan 2009

    November 24, 2009

    The Japanese parliamentary elections in August 30, 2009 marked a turning point in Japan’s political history. Since 1955, Japan has been dominated by one party, with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as the governing party for all but 11 months. But in these elections the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) defeated the LDP, winning 308 seats to 109 for the LDP in the 480-seat House of Representatives.

  • Universal Voter Registration: An International Perspective

    April 21, 2009

    The United States is one of the few democracies in the world where the government does not take any responsibility in registering its citizens. This one-of-a-kind, self-initiated voter registration process acts as a major barrier to voter turnout and leads to often inaccurate voter rolls.

  • International Snapshot: Australia 2007

    January 1, 2008

    On November 24th 2007, Australia elected its House of Representatives with instant runoff voting (IRV), as it has for more than eight decades. After four straight election defeats, the Labor Party won a landslide majority of seats. Under IRV, Labor's initial 44% of first choices turned into a clear majority after considering the choices of supporters of third party candidates with too little support to win seats. The Green Party's 7.79% share of the national vote largely went to Labor in House races; that share earned several senate seats elected by proportional voting. Due in large part to compulsory voting, turnout was 94.77%; Australians rank near the top of national comparisons of voter satisfaction with their government.

     

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Elections in Europe

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Elections in the Middle East and Africa

  • Winner-Take-All Elections Exacerbate Kenya's Ethnic Tensions

    May 2, 2013

    Kenya's use of winner-take-all elections provides few incentives for inter-ethnic cooperation. Proportional representation could help bridge the country's ethnic divides.

  • The Future of Egyptian Democracy Hinges on the Fight Over Its Electoral Law

    March 12, 2013

     

    Over two years since the Arab Spring ousted President Hosni Mubarak and brought the promise of democracy to Egypt, it is clear that that promise is threatened. While most of the media covers the protests and riots in the streets of Cairo and Port Said, the battle that may ultimately decide the fate of Egyptian democracy is being fought over Egypt's new electoral law. The key issue is proportional representation.

     

  • Israeli Election Results Show Responsiveness of Proportional System

    January 24, 2013

    As Tuesday's Israeli elections show, proportional representation systems guarantee that voters can change their government when they are unsatisfied with its performance. 

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Elections in the Americas

  • Electoral Reform on the Move in Canada

    April 16, 2013

    From a poll showing widespread support for proportional representation to the Liberal Party leadership elections held using ranked choice voting to the growing movement for ranked choice voting in Toronto, things are looking up for electoral reform in Canada.

  • Mexico's Divisive Presidential Election System

    June 19, 2012

    With Mexican voters set to go to the polls on July 1, the country's three-party system combined with its winner-take-all presidential elections create a recipe for popular discontent with no end in sight.

  • Brazil's Presidential Hopefuls Face Runoff, National Congress Needs Reform

    October 14, 2010

    On October 31st, a runoff will take place in Brazil’s presidential election. The leading candidate, Dilma Rousseff of the Worker’s Party (PT), failed to gain the 50% majority needed during the first round on October 3rd with just 47%.

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Elections in Asia and Oceania

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