This is a smorgasbord of several different electoral systems; those of Austria, Baden-Württemberg, Australia, and Scotland, along with some innovations of my own. It works as follows:
For the sake of convenience, Germany will be used in this example.
Voters have two votes: one for candidates, and one for parties. Both the candidates and the parties are ranked.
There are two levels of electoral constituencies: the states and the divisions. The size and area of these are fixed. At an election, each constituency is given a certain number of seats, directly proportional to the number of votes cast. The top finishers in that constituency, using STV, are then declared elected in a number equal to the number of seats apportioned to that constituency.
The result in each state is then made proportional through MMP, with a threshold of 5%. Unlike normal MMP, parties are eliminated and their vote redistributed, as in STV, until all parties have at least 5%. Parties do not put forth lists; rather, the unelected candidates from each party are ranked according to how close they were to winning. The same process is repeated at the federal level.
Vacancies are filled in different ways depending on how the seat is apportioned. For district seats, a countback is done without the candidate in question. For national and state seats, the next person on the party list fills the vacancy. There are no by-elections.
There are several advantages to this method:
- It ensures proportionality.
- It allows for independent candidacies.
- It is unsusceptible to gerrymandering.
- It does not waste votes, despite having a threshold.
- It preserves constituencies, and the resulting link between voter and legislator.
However, it is quite complex, both to the average voter who sees a strange ballot, and to the more educated voter who wishes to understand the electoral process.
Thoughts?
