Electoral district

A constituency is that - usually geographically contiguous - subspace of a choice area in which the voters decide about the actual occupation of one or more seats to the organ. The assembly to be elected may be the national parliament or that a regional body.

Origin

The constituency is an early construct of democracy. As the Roman Republic had subdued all Italian regions and made ​​allies, in these electoral districts (called tribes ) were divided in order to be represented in this way in Rome.

Typology

Constituencies can be distinguished according to the number of contracts to be in the constituency mandates as well as on the nature of the election process used.

If per constituency exactly one seat is assigned, it is called single-seat constituencies, in them gaining the candidate with the relative or absolute majority. In addition, there are electoral systems with multi- mandate constituencies, that is, that in them more than one mandate is to win. The award of only one seat per constituency is the older method, and accordingly spread worldwide stronger. More mandate constituencies have existed for many decades in Ireland, more recently, in elections to the Scottish Parliament, and elections for the Hamburg Parliament. Examples of electoral systems with multi- mandate constituencies are the binomial electoral system and the commonly used among others in Japan system with non-communicable Einzelstimmgebung used in Chile and Indonesia.

Furthermore, a distinction constituencies after the coming into play in them voting procedures. According to a number of possible constituency typologies are possible. Thus, both the one constituencies and multi- mandate constituencies with diverse selection methods can be combined.

The oldest and still most widely used method is the relative majority vote. This is, for example, in the election for the House, the U.S. House of Representatives, the lower house of the Indian as well as in the choice of direct candidates of the German Bundestag the case.

In the elections to the French National Assembly is elected by the Roman majority vote. In those constituencies where no candidate was able to unite at least half of the valid votes cast, there will be a runoff in a second ballot. At the ballot take part the two strongest candidates. Other candidates take part, provided that they have received the votes of more than 12.5 % of the electorate.

In elections to the Australian House of Commons is also in single-seat constituencies, but elected by Instant Runoff Voting method.

In the multi- mandate constituencies in Ireland ( where, depending on the size of three, four or five mandates are to win ) is chosen according to the principle of Transferable Einzelstimmgebung.

In the state of Hamburg the allocation of seats held in the multi- mandate constituencies rather than by constituency lists, which can be accumulated and variegated.

Constituency boundaries

In modern democracies, the division of constituencies is often a political issue, since in the constituency boundaries various contradictory aspects must be considered.

(One Man - One Vote ) First, the principle of equality of choice is observed. This essential choice principle requires ideally that all constituencies have the same number of eligible voters. In practice, this is not readily possible. Embrace the constituencies significantly different number of eligible voters, the voting power of the individual citizen choice varies depending on the constituency membership. In Germany the national constitutional courts in the country have repeatedly constituency organizations declared unconstitutional because the size of some constituencies deviated too much from the average size of constituencies.

For organizational reasons, it is useful to orient themselves in the constituency boundaries of existing administrative units ( municipalities, counties or similar).

The constituencies are to be widely grown in geographical areas, ethnic settlement areas or language areas ( such as in elections to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives ) orient.

Especially with single-member districts, there is the possibility of manipulative constituency boundaries, which is referred to in the United States as gerrymandering. These constituencies are cut so that in a few constituencies very high results of a party be achieved and in many constituencies narrow majorities for the other party suffers. To avoid this, the constituencies need to be structured as equal as possible, ie an approximately equal number of residents, nationals, or eligible voters per vergebendem mandate to have ( depending on the area size tens to hundreds of thousands ). Furthermore it is often also made sure that they have a similar sociological structure. Above all, the division based on clear common principles should be undertaken.

Germany

In Germany there since the general election 2002 299 constituencies (also: Bundestag constituencies ) in elections to the German Bundestag (§ 2 BWahlG ), which in turn are divided into electoral districts. In the cases in which elected by proportional representation (for example, European elections, federal election, state election, state election ), the constituencies are also voting districts for the delivery of those votes that decide on the allocation of mandates by Land lists.

The constituencies should be divided so that each constituency has about the same number of German population. The number of Germans in a constituency is to deviate from the average no more than 15 % up or down. From a deviation of more than 25 % of the constituency must be re-cut (see eg § 3 para 1 No. 3 BWahlG ), which is a meeting place, changes of neighboring constituencies by itself. A constituency may only be located within a state, other authorities (eg, districts, counties, municipalities ) should be as far as possible not be cut (see eg § 3 para 1 no 1 and 5 BWahlG ). Larger shifts in the populations of the individual federal states can cause the number of constituencies of individual federal states changed, which also has a clean slate of constituencies result. An independent Constituency Commission makes proposals for the distribution of constituencies on the country and its blank ( § 3 para 3 BWahlG ); the final allocation is determined by the legislature in federal election law.

The mandates of those Members who have won a constituency called direct mandates. In elections to the German Bundestag an equal number is in addition to the direct mandates (since 2002: 299 ) awarded mandates to list candidates, so that would otherwise occur at the expense of smaller parties distortion can be compensated. Decisive for the allocation of seats in the Bundestag is therefore not the number of directly elected seats won, but the percentage of total earnings of the parties. For example, given the FDP in the Bundestag election in 2009 14.6 % of the valid votes cast, but none of the 299 successful candidates came direct from their ranks. The party entitled to approximately 15% of the seats in the German Bundestag were therefore determined exclusively by the state lists.

Also in the state elections, the electoral area is divided into constituencies. A special case is Bavaria, where there is a twofold division: first by the Bavarian districts that are referred to as constituencies, and then on to voting districts, which thus in Bavaria have the same meaning as in other countries the electoral constituencies.

Also in the Empire there were elections to the Reichstag constituencies. In the Empire, was the relative majority vote in single-member constituencies, as is common in the United Kingdom about today: who could unite the most votes in a constituency, was given the mandate. Compensation for losing parties, such as in the form of a state list did not exist. Overall, there were 397 constituencies; at the first general election in 1871, which did not take place in Alsace - Lorraine, there were 382

In the Weimar Republic, there were also constituencies, but these were far greater than the constituencies of the imperial period and fulfilled a different function: In each constituency, a fixed number of deputies was on the basis of proportional representation chosen (see suffrage and electoral system of the Weimar Republic). Depending on the number of electors that number of constituency to constituency was different. 1918, the number of constituencies was set at 38; as Alsace -Lorraine was already French again in the elections to the National Assembly in 1919, there were at that election only 37 constituencies, by the loss of the constituencies ( and provinces) of Posen and West Prussia in the Reichstag elections in 1920, only 35 This figure is stayed until the last general election in 1933.

For each item on constituencies, see:

• List of parliamentary constituencies
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Baden -Württemberg
• List of polling and voting districts in Bavaria
• List of House of Representatives constituencies in Berlin
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Brandenburg
• List of state election areas in Bremen
• List of citizenship constituencies in Hamburg
• List of state election districts in Hesse
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Mecklenburg -Vorpommern
• List of state election districts in Lower Saxony
• List of state election districts in North Rhine -Westphalia
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Rhineland -Palatinate
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Saarland
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Saxony
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Saxony -Anhalt
• List of state election districts in Schleswig -Holstein
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Thuringia

Historic German constituencies:

• List of constituencies Reichstag of the German Empire
• List of constituencies and electoral district associations of the Weimar Republic
• List of electoral districts of the Grand Duchy of Hesse

Austria

At the elections of the National Council, the electoral area is divided according to the federal structure in 9 provincial constituencies and 39 regional constituencies. (see National Election Rules ). Each national constituency are faced with the choice associated with so many of the total of 183 seats as residents arising from the latest census there and indeed according to the quota method according to the largest fraction (after Hare ). These mandates are distributed according to the regional constituencies.

Switzerland

Each of the 26 cantons forms a constituency. Each constituency has independently of its population entitled to at least one deputy seat in the National Council. The remaining 174 seats are distributed proportionally among the constituencies ( = the cantons). Decisive for the allocation is always the entire population of the cantons according to the results of the last census. The constituency with the most National Councils is the canton of Zurich.

Each canton is represented in the Senate with two deputies ( The half- cantons, each having an MEP ). Thus, the Canton of Zurich with 1'408'575 inhabitants the same number of seats as the Canton of Uri with 35'693 inhabitants.

Since each constituency corresponds to a canton, the word constituency is hardly ever used. Commonly, the word constituency in the Canton of St. Gallen, which was split up in late 2002 in 14 districts. On 1 January 2003, the 14 districts were replaced by eight constituencies. Effective January 1, 2013, the administrative divisions of the canton of Lucerne is changed so that the five existing employment shall be replaced by six constituencies.

Liechtenstein

In the Principality of Liechtenstein, the term (also see # Liechtenstein Landtag constituencies and Administrative divisions of Liechtenstein ) denotes constituency the two regions Oberland and lowlands.

Belgium

The elections to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives will be held in eleven constituencies. For elections to the regional level and elections to the provincial councils exist differently tailored constituencies.

Not to be confused are the constituencies in Belgium with the choice cantons which divided a number of communities under a common choice evaluation office.

Namibia

The Constitution of Namibia states that there should be between six and twelve constituencies in each region of the country, send each a councilor in the regional. Each one of these councilors is elected as a representative for the National Council. Altogether there are currently 121 constituencies in Namibia.