Proportional RepresentationUniversity of Wisconsin--Madison, 1920 - 166 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
adopted advocated American Andrae Ashworth Australia average balance of power ballots British Parliamentary Papers Bucklin candidate receives cantons Cape Colony cast CHAPTER chosen constitution councils counted cumulative vote d'Hondt method d'Hondt Quota declared elected Democrats Deputies Droop quota Equity Series form of proportional Garner gerrymander given Gove Hare system House of Commons Humphreys Ibid independent legislative legislature Liberal limited vote list systems lower house MacMillan Company minority party Minority Representation MOVEMENT FOR PROPORTIONAL multiple district multiple lists Nanson method Nominations number of votes Oklahoma Bulletin Parliament PARTY VOTES Political Science Politics of Switzerland polled preferential voting Primary Elections Proportional Representation League Proportional Representation Review Reform Representation of Minorities Representation Proportionnelle Representative Government Republicans Revue Politique seats second choices Senate Simple quota Single Transferable Vote single vote Spence surplus votes Switzerland system of proportional Tasmania three candidates Ticino ticket total number Tyson University of Oklahoma voters York
Popular passages
Page 6 - The virtue, spirit, and essence of a House of Commons consists in its being the express image of the feelings of the nation. It was not instituted to be a control upon the people, as of late it has been taught, by a doctrine of the most pernicious tendency. It was designed as a control for the people.
Page 15 - It is profoundly democratic, for it increases the influence of thousands who would otherwise have no voice in the government ; and it brings men more near an equality by so contriving that no vote shall be wasted, and that every voter shall contribute to bring into Parliament a member of his own opinions.
Page 10 - ... adopted as a proper or satisfactory explanation of the representative principle. It is not merely, as more than one speaker has pointed out, that under our existing system a minority in the country may return a majority of the House of Commons, but what more frequently happens, and what I am disposed to agree is equally injurious in its results, is that you have almost always a great disproportion in the relative size of the majority and minority in the House of Commons as compared with their...
Page 15 - The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections. To break off that point is to avert the danger. The common system of representation perpetuates the danger. Unequal electorates afford no security to majorities. Equal electorates give none to minorities. Thirty-five years ago it was pointed out that the remedy is proportional representation. It is profoundly democratic, for...
Page 7 - Republicans to seventeen Republicans and two Democrats. Now, no man, whatever his politics, can justly defend a system that may in theory, and frequently does in practice, produce such results as these.
Page 34 - ... restrictive," which requires a certain number to be elected on one ticket, and prohibits any elector from voting for the whole number to be elected. Thus, if four are to be elected, no one can vote for more than two. 2. The "cumulative...
Page 7 - When I was first elected to Congress in the fall of 1862, the State of Ohio had a clear Republican majority of about 25,000; but, by the adjustment and distribution of political power in the State, there were fourteen Democratic Representatives upon this floor, and only five Republicans.
Page 24 - ... Burgomaster of Ghent, speaking in May 1899, described its results in the following terms : — " During the four years that proportional representation has been applied to the communal elections of Ghent, every one has been able to appreciate the happy effects of the reform. Everybody recognizes that, far from being endangered, the material prosperity of the city has increased, and that the ameliorating and pacifying effects of the altered electoral method have even exceeded the expectations...
Page 10 - I therefore agree that it is impossible to defend the rough and ready method which has been hitherto adopted as a proper or satisfactory explanation of the representative principle. It is not merely, as more than one speaker has pointed out, that under our existing system a minority in the country may return a majority of the House of Commons, but what more frequently happens, and what I am disposed to agree is equally injurious in its results, is that you have almost always a great disproportion...
Page 10 - Mr. Churchill's reply was a significant reinforcement of Mr. Asquith's previous declaration, that "it was impossible to defend the present rough and ready methods." "I think," said Mr. Churchill, "the present system has clearly broken down. The results produced are not fair to any party, nor to any section of the community. In many cases they do not secure majority representation, nor do they secure an intelligent representation of minorities. All they secure is fluke representation, freak representation,...