Is It All a Question of the Electoral System? The Effects of Electoral System Types on the Representation of Women in German Municipal Councils

Abstract

Election reforms have taken place in many German municipalities since the 1980s, leading to the implementation of complex systems that allow voters to cast more than one vote for a candidate (‘cumulative voting’) or to select candidates from different party lists (‘vote splitting/panachage’). Although voting with open lists gives voters more influence on the composition of parliaments, it may also lead voters to discriminate against certain groups, such as women. Considering the persistently low proportion of women in German municipal councils, despite reforms to the electoral system, this study questions whether and how different mechanisms of the electoral system affect female representation at the municipal level. The data in this study allow us to investigate the outcomes of cumulative voting and vote splitting, both the prospects of success and sequential effects on the individual level of candidates (‘order effects’). Our results show that women have a lower chance of success in open-list systems than in closed systems. Furthermore, women are elected ‘downwards’ in electoral systems with cumulative voting and vote splitting. Nevertheless, election mechanisms can only explain gender-specific differences to a limited extent.