Parliamentary
elections in Palestine, which were originally set for July 17th,
have been delayed as groups have called for changes to the way in which
seats are apportioned. The most contentious issue about the electoral
system has been the debate between district voting and proportional
voting. Many civil society groups and parties have argued that at least
half of the deputies be elected through proportional voting, while
President Abbas even argued that all seats be elected through
proportional voting.
On Saturday, June 18, in response to diverse pressures, the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC) finally approved by a vote of 43-14 the bill
with the amendment that requires seats to be apportioned evenly
according to the two electoral systems. According to the new law
and amendments, 66 deputies will be elected in local districts and 66
will be elected through proportional voting, in which voters will cast
their ballots for different parties.
[More on proportional voting for Palestinian elections]
[Articles discussing Palestinian adoption of proportional voting]
In a representative democracy, the right of decision belongs to the majority, but the right to representation belongs to all. FairVote advocates for adoption of proportional voting systems for local and state elections, and for an informed debate about their merits for congressional elections.
Palestinians to Adopt Proportional Voting System
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GM shareholders nearly adopt proportional voting system
49% challenge management to adopt cumulative voting
On June 7, the shareholders of General Motors nearly voted to adopt
proportional voting for future elections for the Board of Directors.
Almost 49% of shareholders supported cumulative voting over the current
winner-take-all system. The proposal for cumulative voting won
the highest percentage of the vote of any non-board-recommended
measure in GM history.
A cumulative voting system would allow a minority of like-minded shareholders to elect at least one board member by concentrating their votes on a single candidate, ensuring a more accurate representation of shareholder interests in board decisions. [Read FairVote's press release on GM’s shareholder vote] [Read more on GM’s shareholder meeting] [More on cumulative voting] |
Redistricting reform on CA ballot this November
Gov. Schwarzenegger sets special election
On June 13, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a
special election for this November to have voters consider three
initiatives. One would create an independent panel of retired judges to
draw state and congressional districts before the 2006 elections.
FairVote supports reforms that stop partisans from helping friends and hurting enemies in redistricting. But redrawing districts alone won't "bust up the boxes," as the governor seeks, because the real reason for lack of competitive choice in our legislative elections is winner-take-all elections. State-by-state reform of congressional redistricting also is more problematic than seeking national standards affecting all states simultaneously. [See FairVote California’s plan to make our elections competitive] [Read Steven Hill's take on redistricting published in Salon.com] [Rep. Tanner's Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act] |