On Elections

How people elect parliaments

Runoff elections that went wrong

What could possibly go wrong in the next week of French presidential elections? The epic contest for the French presidency is being conducted according to the rules of two-round runoff … Continue reading

April 23, 2017 · Leave a comment

French presidential election: Round 1

With just days to go until the first round of elections for the next President of France, what could possibly go wrong? The French are the world’s most prominent users … Continue reading

April 21, 2017 · Leave a comment

Democrats close to upset in another US House by-election

A special election to fill a vacant safe Republican seat in the US House of Representatives has almost been snatched at the primary round of voting – by a Democrat. … Continue reading

April 19, 2017 · Leave a comment

British to vote using decade-old boundaries

The UK House of Commons will be dissolved for a general election on 8 June. But the sudden move means that the boundaries for the nation’s electoral constituencies will be … Continue reading

April 18, 2017 · 1 Comment

Republicans stay home in congressional re-election

The first of five special elections to replace departing US Congressmen has seen over half of Republican party voters stay home. But who will take over Frank Underwood’s old seat in May? … Continue reading

April 13, 2017 · Leave a comment

Legal ruling means original voter ballots will determine new Senator

The new Senator to replace Bob Day, who left the Australian Senate late last year, will be determined by a recount of the ballots from the July 2016 election, after … Continue reading

April 5, 2017 · 5 Comments

Who gets to choose – voters or party officials?

A vacancy in the Australian Senate exists – for one of the 12 representatives elected by voters in the state of South Australia – and the nation’s High Court will … Continue reading

April 4, 2017 · Leave a comment

Armenians shift to parliamentary government with unique voting rules

In contrast to the increasingly presidential governments seen in nations such as Turkey and Russia, the little Caucuses republic of Armenia has deliberately shifted to a parliamentary system of government, … Continue reading

April 4, 2017 · 1 Comment

So … Who did put Family First?

Political conservative Bob Day resigned from the Australian Senate late in 2016, but the intriguing history of his encounters with the electoral system have left a legacy of voting system issues … Continue reading

April 3, 2017 · Leave a comment

Western Australian election shows weaknesses of Australian electoral laws

Counting has finished in the state election for Western Australia. The result is a pair of only partially satisfactory democratic assemblies. Western Australia has a fairly standard form of Australian … Continue reading

March 28, 2017 · Leave a comment