How do voting systems influence the way we vote?

Wed Feb 17 2016 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

How do voting systems influence the way we vote?

17 February 2016

How voting systems influence voter behaviour has long been a matter of debate with most political scientists agreeing that the rules of the game affect the behaviour of both political parties and voters.

Distinguished Visiting Professor Jean-Francois Laslier from the Paris School of Economics will give a public lecture at the University of Auckland on his online experiments into European voter behaviour.

“We know that the underlying rules of electoral systems are not equivalent and that voters may need to vote in different ways according to which rules they must follow,” Professor Laslier says.

“Moreover it is important for the democratic construction of Europe that voters of all nationalities trust, and understand, European institutions.”

Professor Laslier’s lecture will focus on results from an online, simulated election just prior to the 2014 European Parliamentary election. A total of 3673 participants from twelve European countries took part.

In general, Europe follows a proportional representation system similar to New Zealand’s, however the rules differ from one European country to the next. Key differences include closed list systems where political parties have the final say on a candidate’s placing, or possible negative voting.

The study shows that the possibility for voters to vote directly for candidates, rather than for closed party lists, makes it easier for female candidates to be elected, essentially because many female voters favour female candidates.

The results of the simulation, compared to the actual election results in 2014, showed varying degrees of difference, including three Swedish candidates not being elected, a difference of 15%. In Latvia, five candidates would not have won, a difference of 25%.

The study also investigated potential outcomes of a pan-European vote whereby voters from across Europe vote for candidates from every country.

Results suggest that such a pan-European election would result in voters preferring candidates from their own country, with this effect strongest in smaller countries. “Political trust” was also a factor, with candidates from some countries such as Sweden, Germany, Portugal and Finland attracting more votes than candidates from Poland, Italy or Romania.

This public lecture is free and open to the public: 6.30pm – 7.30pm, SLT1 Lecture Theatre, Building 303-G01, 38 Princes St, Auckland on 24 February 2016.

For media enquiries, please contact Anne Beston - a.beston@auckland.ac.nz