Alternative local electoral systems

In: National civic review: promoting civic engagement and effective local governance for more than 100 years, Band 79, Heft 1, S. 23-36

Abstract

AbstractIn the absence of ideality, communities—and indeed Congress and the Justice Department—have taken action to enhance the "representativeness" of local policy‐making bodies. In spite of widespread preference for the single‐member district over the at‐large system where inequitable representation can be demonstrated historically, electoral reformers have other options with proven track records. This article reviews the various electoral systems with which communities have experimented during this century and offers some alternatives to "winner takes all".