Block Voting
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Block voting or bloc voting refers to
electoral system An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and Referendum, referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political ...
s in which multiple candidates are elected at once and a group (
voting bloc A voting bloc is a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections. For example ...
) of voters can force the system to elect only their preferred candidates. Block voting may be used at large (in a single district with multiple winners) or in several multi-member districts. Most types of block voting fall under the
multiple non-transferable vote The multiple non-transferable vote (MNTV) is a group of voting system, in which voters elect several representatives at once, with each voter having more than one vote. MNTV uses multi-member electoral districts or only one district, which conta ...
type of system; these terms are sometimes used synonymously. Block voting is also used synonymously with the term
majoritarian representation A majoritarian electoral system is an electoral system where the candidate with the most votes takes the seat using the winner-takes-all principle and in this way provides majoritarian representation. However, there are many electoral systems c ...
(winner-takes-all) in the context of multi-winner electoral systems. The two main types of block voting are
plurality block voting Plurality block voting, also known as plurality-at-large voting, block vote or block voting (BV) is a non- proportional voting system for electing representatives in multi-winner elections. Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of sea ...
, where only a plurality is needed to elect candidates, and ''majority block voting'', where candidates need to reach the support of a majority (more than half) of the electorate to get elected. Plurality block voting is an election with ''n'' winners, each voter may choose up to ''n'' candidates; the ''n'' candidates with most votes win. Majority block voting may use multiple rounds of voting or it may be
preferential block voting Preferential block voting, is a majoritarian voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember constituency. Unlike the single transferable vote (STV), preferential block voting is not a method for obtaining proportional ...
(multiple transferable votes) using
ranked ballots The term ranked voting (also known as preferential voting or ranked choice voting) refers to any voting system in which voters rank their candidates (or options) in a sequence of first or second (or third, etc.) on their respective ballots. Ran ...
. Other types include
block approval voting Multiwinner approval voting, also called approval-based committee voting, is a multi-winner electoral system that uses approval ballots. Each voter may select ("approve") any number of candidates, and multiple candidates are elected. The number of ...
: in an election with ''n'' winners, each voter may vote for any number of candidates, and the candidates with the most votes win; partial block voting (also known as
limited voting Limited voting (also known as partial block voting) is a voting system in which electors have fewer votes than there are positions available. The positions are awarded to the candidates who receive the most votes absolutely. In the special case ...
): in an election with ''n'' winners, each voter may choose up to ''m'' (''mgeneral ticket The general ticket, also known as party block voting (PBV) or ticket voting, is a type of block voting in which voters opt for a party, or a team's set list of candidates, and the highest-polling party/team becomes the winner. Unless specifically ...
), in an election where each voter may vote for a party, and that party wins all seats. Block voting is often contrasted with
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
, which methods aim to select winners in a way that every voter's vote counts with the same effective weight, while under block voting the usual result is that where the candidates divide into definitive parties the most popular party in the district sees its full
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
of candidates elected, resulting in a
landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...
.


Terminology

The term "plurality
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
" is in common usage in elections for representative members of a body who are
elect An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
ed or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body (for example, a city, state, province, nation, club or association). Where the system is used in a territory divided into multi-member
electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
s, the system is commonly referred to as "block voting" or the "bloc vote". Block voting as described in this article is "unlimited voting", unlike "
limited voting Limited voting (also known as partial block voting) is a voting system in which electors have fewer votes than there are positions available. The positions are awarded to the candidates who receive the most votes absolutely. In the special case ...
", where a voter has fewer votes than the number of seats contested. The term "block voting" sometimes means simple plurality election of slates (
electoral list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
s) in multi-member districts. In such a system, each party puts forward a slate (party-list) of candidates, a voter casts just one vote, and the party winning a plurality of votes sees its whole slate elected, winning all the seats.


Types of block voting

The multiple winners are usually elected simultaneously in one round of voting and the vote is non-transferable, unlike under
preferential block voting Preferential block voting, is a majoritarian voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember constituency. Unlike the single transferable vote (STV), preferential block voting is not a method for obtaining proportional ...
. MNTV sometimes appears in a runoff (two-round) version, as in some
local elections in France The administrative divisions of France are concerned with the institutional and territorial organization of French territory. These territories are located in many parts of the world. There are many administrative divisions, which may have ...
, where candidates who do not receive an absolute majority must compete in a second round. In these cases, it is more accurately called "majority-at-large voting".


Plurality block voting (BV)

In a block voting election, all candidates run against each other for ''m'' number of positions, where ''m'' is commonly called the district magnitude. Each voter selects up to ''m'' candidates on the ballot (voters are sometimes said to have ''m'' votes; however, they are unable to vote for the same candidate more than once as is permitted in
cumulative voting Cumulative voting (also accumulation voting, weighted voting or multi-voting) is a multiple-winner method intended to promote more proportional representation than winner-take-all elections such as block voting or first past the post. Cumulative ...
). Voters are most commonly permitted to cast their votes across more than one party list. The ''m'' candidates with the most votes (who may or may not obtain a majority of available votes) are the winners and will fill the positions.


Majority-at-large voting / Two-round block voting

The majority-at-large voting is the plurality-at-large voting, but candidates who do not receive an absolute majority must compete in a second round.


General ticket / Party block voting (PBV)

Party block voting (PBV), or
general ticket The general ticket, also known as party block voting (PBV) or ticket voting, is a type of block voting in which voters opt for a party, or a team's set list of candidates, and the highest-polling party/team becomes the winner. Unless specifically ...
, is the party-list version of the block vote. In contrast to the classic block vote, where the candidates may formally stand as
non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...
and some minority nominations can be theoretically successful, PBV each candidate is linked to their party-list, which is voted by the electors, producing a
landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...
, and any minority representation is excluded. This system is used to elect the vast majority of the
Parliament of Singapore The Parliament of Singapore is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Singapore, which governs the country alongside the president of Singapore. Largely based upon the Westminster system, the Parliament is made up of Members of Parliam ...
.


Block approval voting

In block approval voting, every voter may vote for any number of candidates (but no more than once for each candidate). Block voting, or plurality block voting, is often compared with preferential block voting as both systems tend to produce landslide victories for similar candidates. Instead of a series of checkboxes, preferential block voting uses a
preferential ballot The term ranked voting (also known as preferential voting or ranked choice voting) refers to any voting system in which voters rank their candidates (or options) in a sequence of first or second (or third, etc.) on their respective ballots. Ran ...
, therefore, it is not a multiple ''non-transferable'' vote, but a multiple ''transferable'' vote. A slate of clones of the top preferred candidate will win every seat under both systems, however, in preferential block voting, this is instead the
instant-runoff Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a type of ranked preferential voting method. It uses a majority voting rule in single-winner elections where there are more than two candidates. It is commonly referred to as ranked-choice voting (RCV) in the Un ...
winner.


Similar systems


Limited voting (LV) / Partial block voting

Partial block voting, also called limited voting, functions similarly to plurality-at-large voting, however, in partial block voting, each voter receives fewer votes than the number of candidates to be elected. This in turn can enable reasonably sized minorities to achieve some representation, as it becomes impossible for a simple plurality to sweep every seat. Partial bloc voting is used for
elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
to the
Gibraltar Parliament The Gibraltar Parliament is the legislature of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Between 1969 and 2006, it was called the Gibraltar House of Assembly. Functions The House of Assembly, set up under the 1969 constitution, was a uni ...
, where each voter has 10 votes and 17 seats are open for election; the usual result is that the most popular party wins 10 seats and forms the ruling administration, while the second-most popular wins seven seats and forms the opposition. Partial block voting is also used in the
Spanish Senate The Senate ( es, Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, which along with the Congress of Deputies – the lower chamber – comprises the Parliament of the Kingdom of Spain. The Senate meets in the Palace of the Senate in Madrid. Th ...
, where there are four seats per constituency and each voter receives three votes. Historically, partial block voting was used in three- and four-member constituencies in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, where voters received two votes, until multimember constituencies were abolished. Under partial block voting, the fewer votes each voter is granted, the smaller the number of voters needed to win becomes, and the more like
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
the results can be, provided that voters and candidates use proper strategy. At the extreme, if each voter receives only one vote, then the voting system becomes equivalent to the single non-transferable vote. Many votes can be wasted, and vote-splitting can produce unfair results (but likely more balanced than elections under Block Voting). Due to these reasons, the portion of votes needed to win a seat under SNTV may be quite small indeed. (
Single transferable voting Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...
is more scientific, producing less wasted votes. Under STV, the minimum proportion needed to assure victory is the Droop quota, although commonly one or two in each contest are elected with less than that.)


Examples


Plurality block voting and majority block voting

12 candidates are running in a 3-member district of 10,000 voters. Under both types of block voting, voters may cast 3 votes (but do not have to), but may not cast a more than one vote for a single candidate. Party A has about 35% support among the electorate (with one particularly well-liked candidate), Party B around 25% (with two well-liked candidates), and the remaining voters primarily support independent candidates, but mostly lean towards Party B if they have to choose between the two parties. All voters vote sincerely, and there is no tactical voting. In the second round, voters of independent candidates can vote for candidates of party B. As even fewer voters cast all their 3 votes, even in the second round, some winners do technically win with a majority, but only a plurality in fact (similar to differences between turnout levels in
two-round voting The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...
).


Block voting and approval block voting

The same 12 candidates are running in a 3-member district of 10,000 voters. Under block voting, voters may not cast a more than one vote for a single candidate. * Under ''unlimited'' block ''approval'' voting, voters may vote for any number of candidates. * Under ''limited'' block approval voting, voters may cast 6 votes maximum (twice as many as there are winners). * Under ''plurality'' block voting, voters may cast 3 votes (but do not have to). * Under ''limited'' (block) voting, voters may cast 2 votes maximum. * Under the
single non-transferable vote Single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an electoral system used to elect multiple winners. It is a generalization of first-past-the-post, applied to multi-member districts with each voter casting just one vote. Unlike FPTP, which is a single-winn ...
(which is not block voting), voters may cast only 1 vote. Party A has about 35% support among the electorate (with one particularly well-liked candidate), Party B around 25% (with two well-liked candidates) and the remaining voters primarily support independent candidates, but mostly lean towards party B if they have to choose between the two parties. All voters vote sincerely, there is no tactical voting. * Under the single non-transferable vote (not a type of approval voting), the 3 most popular candidates according to voters' first preferences are elected, regardless of party affiliation. * Under limited voting, it is most likely that the party with a plurality takes 2 seats (the number of votes each voter has), and the minority party receives the remaining seats. * Under plurality block voting, the party with plurality support most likely wins all seats. * Under limited block approval voting, voters for independent candidates may use their extra votes to help candidates other than their top 3, which may result in the reversal of the plurality block vote result. * Under block approval voting, any party-affiliated or independent candidates particularly popular among the population may be elected, but it is possible that about half of the population can elect no representatives.


See also

*
Voting bloc A voting bloc is a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections. For example ...
*
First-past-the-post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
voting *
Single non-transferable vote Single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an electoral system used to elect multiple winners. It is a generalization of first-past-the-post, applied to multi-member districts with each voter casting just one vote. Unlike FPTP, which is a single-winn ...


Notes


References

{{Reflist * http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/oped/voter_rights.shtml
Rogers v. Lodge, (1982) Supreme Court Case


External links


A Handbook of Electoral System Design
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International IDEA

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