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Brief Profiles of Countries, EMB’s and Partner Organisations of A-WEB

AnnexURe 3
GLOSSARY OF TERMS

1. Absentee voting – Another term for remote voting. mark their preferences on the ballot paper and each
preference marked is then assigned a value using
2. Additional Member System – Another term for a equal steps. For example, in a ten-candidate field a
Mixed Member Proportional system.
first preference is worth one, a second preference is
3. Alternative Vote (AV) – A candidate-centred, worth 0.9 and so on, with a tenth preference worth
preferential plurality/majority system used in single- 0.1. These are summed and the candidate(s) with
member districts in which voters use numbers the highest total(s) is/are declared elected. See also
to mark their preferences on the ballot paper. A Modified Borda Count.
candidate who receives an absolute majority (50 10. Boundary delimitation – The process by which
per cent plus 1) of valid first-preference votes a country, local authority area or area of a
is declared elected. If no candidate achieves an supranational institution is divided into electoral
absolute majority of first preferences, the least districts.
successful candidates are eliminated and their
votesreallocated until one candidate has an 11. Candidate-centred ballot – A form of ballot in
absolute majority of valid votes remaining. which an elector chooses between candidates
rather than between parties and political groupings.
4. Apparentement – A term of French origin for a
provision which can be included in List Proportional 12. Circonscription – The term most frequently used
Representation (List PR) systems which enables for electoral district in francophone countries. See
two or more parties or groupings which fight Electoral district.
separate campaigns to reach agreement that their
votes will be combined for the purpose of seat 13. Closed list – A form of List PR in which electors
allocation. See also Lema and Stembusaccoord. are restricted to voting only for a party or political
Average district magnitude – For a country, local grouping, and cannot express a preference for any
authority or supranational institution, the number of candidate within a party list. See also Open list and
representatives to be elected divided by the number Free list.
of electoral districts. See also District magnitude. 14. Communal roll – A register of electors for which
the qualification for registration is a determinable
5. Ballotage – Another term for a two-round system,
used primarily in Latin America. criterion such as religion, ethnicity, language or
gender. All electors who meet the criterion may be
6. Ballot structure – The way in which electoral entered in the communal roll automatically, or each
choices are presented on the ballot paper, in such elector may be able to choose whether or not
particular whether the ballot is candidate-centred or to be entered. This register is used for the election
party-centred. of representatives of the group defined by the
criterion from electoral districts specified for that
7. Bicameral legislature – A legislature made up of purpose.
two houses, usually known as an upper house and a
lower house. 15. Compensatory seats – The List PR seats in a Mixed
Member Proportional system which are awarded to
8. Block Vote (BV) – A plurality/majority system used parties or groupings to correct disproportionality in
in multi-member districts in which electors have as their representation in the results of the elections
many votes as there are candidates to be elected. held under the first part of the MMP system,
Voting is candidatecentred. The candidates with the normally under a plurality/majority system.
highest vote totals win the seats.
16. Constituency – A synonym for electoral district
9. Borda Count (BC) – A candidate-centred used predominantly in some Anglophone countries.
preferential system used in either single- or multi- See Electoral district.
member districts in which voters use numbers to

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