The Paradoxes of Preferential Voting and the Possibility of Strengthening the Electoral Vote in the Slovak Republic

Abstract

The purpose of this contribution is to generally highlight the power potential of the voter's voice in the elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic (NR SR), resulting from the proportional electoral system. The specific focus is on selected determinants of the voting power, including the number of preferential votes, the established percentage threshold for preferential marking, the size, and the existence of a single electoral district. At the center of attention is the voter's voice with the attribute "preferential," and the examination of its potential and real impact on the composition of the parliament. By analyzing the central issue of preferential votes, we will gradually uncover weaknesses and imperfections arising from the electoral system setup. The purpose of this contribution is to present selected possible solutions and proposals that would strengthen the weight of preferential votes in the proportional electoral system. To achieve a comprehensive concept of the contribution, descriptive, comparative, and primarily the methods of analysis and synthesis of knowledge, as well as statistical data methods, were utilized. As it was not possible to obtain all the comprehensive data from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic within the researched problem, we formulated conclusions based on our own calculations derived from respecting the data of the 2020 parliamentary elections, through mathematical statistics, data collection, and analysis. The aim of this contribution is to contribute to the awareness of deeper connections between the electoral system setup and the actual impact of the voter's voice in the decision-making process in the elections to the NR SR. It also aims to demonstrate certain weaknesses arising from the electoral system setup and stimulate a professional discussion about possible proposals that would fundamentally contribute to increasing the weight of the voter's voice and reflecting the will of the voters to a higher degree in the composition of the parliament.