4.5 Other Types of Elections
Thus far, the electoral systems examined are used for electing members of a legislature. In this section, we will review how elections might be used to choose presidents, to respond to questions of interest, or even to remove elected officials from office.
Electing Presidents
Similar to legislative elections, direct elections for president can use a plurality or majority decision rule, or they can do something else entirely. South Korea uses a plurality election for selecting a president (Blais & Bol, 2023). France uses a majority run-off system in which a first round of elections is held with multiple candidates. If no Candidate wins a majority of votes, a second round is held with the top two candidates (ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, n.d.-c).
America: Something Completely Different
Presidential elections in the United States use an indirect method of electing presidents, called the Electoral College. Each state has a given number of electoral votes to allocate, and on election day, the voters in each state decide which candidate should get their votes.
Most states allocate their votes on a winner-take-all basis called the unit rule. For example, the candidate receiving the most votes in Texas will receive all of the State’s 40 electoral votes. Only two states, Maine and Nebraska, allocate their votes on a proportional basis (Ballotpedia, n.d.-b).
Confused?
If the American system sounds confusing, it is. For the sake of simplicity, think of the Electoral College as a points system. In practical terms, a candidate must accumulate 270 points to win the Presidency. That may be the easiest way to understand Presidential elections in America.
Electoral College Inversions
It is possible for a candidate to win the electoral college without getting the most votes. This is called an Electoral College Inversion, and it has happened twice since 2000.
- 2000 Election: George W Bush won the electoral college vote, yet Al Gore received approximately 540,000 more votes nationally.
- 2016 Election: Donald J Trump won the electoral college vote, yet Hillary Clinton received 2.5 million more votes nationally.
Inversions are more likely when the national popular vote margin is close (Geruso et al., 2022)
Recall Elections
In a recall election, voters can vote to remove someone from office. In some countries, recall elections can only be held if specific criteria are met, for example, corruption or impropriety (ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, n.d.-b). In the United States, 39 states have recall provisions allowing voters to recall state-level officials, local officials, and even judges (Ballotpedia, n.d.-b)
Typically, in a recall process, a petition is filed to initiate a recall vote. If a specific threshold of signatures is reached, the recall election can proceed.
Referendum
A referendum is a type of direct democracy that allows the public to vote directly on a law, Constitutional amendment, or other question of significance (Taylor et al., 2014). Switzerland, a country with a tradition of participatory direct democracy, holds several referendums in a given year (Boyd, 2010).
Should Quebec Leave Canada?
In the 1990s, separatist sentiment was rising in Québec. The province’s Parti Québécois government held a referendum to seek a mandate for secession (Gall, 2015). Voters were asked,
“Do you agree that Québec should become sovereign, after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership, within the scope of the Bill respecting the future of Québec and of the agreement signed on 12 June 1995?”
The confusing question resulted in a narrow victory for the no side, although a yes vote may not have resulted in separation from Canada. Unlike other jurisdictions, referendums in Québec are not binding; they are only advisory (Gow, 1996). In the aftermath of the referendum and a Supreme Court reference, the Canadian Government passed a law called the Clarity Act, stipulating that any future discussion on secession must follow a ‘clear majority’ vote on a ‘clear question’ (Gall, 2015).
