Electoral Process

The electoral or voting system in any country or within a state is a very integral part of the country's progress. It does not only extend to the economic or political independence, but it also signifies the society's struggle in achieving self-sufficiency and freedom. There are different types of election processes such as the plurality election, majority election, place election and the at-large election. These types differ in the procedures and as such, have distinct features that render the strength or weakness in each type.

First, the plurality election is a “single winner voting system.” It is considerably most prominent and widely used in the election for members of legislative assembly based on “single member constituencies.” This electoral system is commonly used in countries like United States, United Kingdom and Canada, to name a few. Relatively, this system is the easiest to use for the voters. It is very simple and the process is easy to understand. However, this kind of electoral system also has downsides. Through this system, it is believed that more votes are wasted. Those who vote for the losing candidates feel that their votes have been wasted, and thus, they regret the idea of voting at all. In addition, plurality election often results in the under representation of racial and ethnic minorities

The majority election on the hand is also known in the U.S as the “simple majority vote.” Often confused with plurality, however it is more strict than the plurality system. It is used in small organizations, especially in deliberative bodies and it does not include abstentions. Ideally, in order to win in this kind of election, one must surpass the number of combined votes of his or her opponent, thus simple majority or brief more than half of the votes will not suffice. This kind of electoral system is advantageous in ensuring a majority rule for the elected officer. It can justify the full use of government authority, since a large part of the...