What are the different types of voting systems?

Question

What are the different types of voting systems?

Answer

Voting systems are methods used to determine the outcome of elections. They vary widely in their approach to counting votes and determining winners. Here are some of the main types of voting systems:

Major Voting Systems

First Past the Post (FPTP):

In this system, the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins. It is simple and quick but can lead to disproportionate representation (Karvonen, 2004).

Single Transferable Vote (STV):

Voters rank candidates in order of preference. It allows for proportional representation by transferring votes according to voter preferences until all seats are filled (Karvonen, 2004).

Alternative Vote (AV):

Also known as Instant Runoff Voting, voters rank candidates, and if no candidate gets a majority, the least popular is eliminated, and votes are redistributed until one candidate has a majority (Karvonen, 2004).

Proportional Representation (PR):

Seats are allocated to parties based on the percentage of votes they receive. This system aims to closely match the percentage of seats with the percentage of votes (Riambau, 2018; Riera and Cantú, 2022).

Electronic and Online Voting

Electronic Voting (E-voting):

This encompasses systems where electronic means are used for casting and counting votes, including Direct-Recording Electronic (DRE) machines and Internet voting (Vonnahme, 2019; Khan et al., 2022; Hameed, 2011).

Blockchain Voting:

A decentralised approach using blockchain technology to ensure security and transparency in the voting process (D. and Motylenko, 2025; Huang et al., 2021).

Other Systems

Direct Democracy:

Voters directly decide on policy initiatives without intermediary representatives (Alouf-Heffetz et al., 2022).

Liquid Democracy:

Combines direct and representative democracy, allowing voters to either vote directly or delegate their vote to someone else (Alouf-Heffetz et al., 2022).

Sortition:

Involves selecting decision-makers randomly from a pool of candidates, akin to jury selection (Alouf-Heffetz et al., 2022).

Voting systems vary significantly in their design and objectives, from simple majority systems like FPTP to complex proportional systems like STV and PR. Electronic and blockchain-based systems are increasingly explored for their potential to enhance security and efficiency. Each system has its advantages and challenges, influencing how representative and fair the election outcomes are.

References

1. Karvonen, L., 2004. Preferential Voting: Incidence and Effects. International Political Science Review, 25, pp. 203 – 226. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512104041283
2. Alouf-Heffetz, S., Armstrong, B., Larson, K., & Talmon, N., 2022. How Should We Vote? A Comparison of Voting Systems within Social Networks. **, pp. 31-38. https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2022/5
3. Vonnahme, G., 2019. Electronic Voting Systems. Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756223-0259
4. Khan, P., Bhaisare, J., Chandekar, K., & Lichade, A., 2022. Online Voting and Information Management. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology. https://doi.org/10.48175/ijarsct-7717
5. Hameed, W., 2011. A Secure Electronic Voting. **, pp. 431-449. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-61520-789-3.CH032
6. D., O., & , M., 2025. Analysis of approaches of electronic voting systems implementation. System technologies. https://doi.org/10.34185/1562-9945-6-155-2024-06
7. Riambau, G., 2018. Do citizens vote for parties, policies or the expected winner in proportional representation systems? Evidence from four different countries using a multiple-type model. Party Politics, 24, pp. 549 – 562. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354068816668669
8. Riera, P., & Cantú, F., 2022. Electoral systems and ideological voting. European Political Science Review, 14, pp. 463 – 481. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773922000248
9. Huang, J., He, D., Obaidat, M., Vijayakumar, P., Luo, M., & Choo, K., 2021. The Application of the Blockchain Technology in Voting Systems. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 54, pp. 1 – 28. https://doi.org/10.1145/3439725