Electoral System Research Articles

Carrots and sticks: How voter loyalty and electoral opportunities shape parties' policy priorities in Europe

AbstractPolitical parties often adjust their policy agendas in response to changing electoral landscapes, balancing the need to appeal to new voters against the importance of retaining loyal supporters. While these patterns are generally well‐documented in the literature, the specific impact of voter availability on the electoral market remains underexamined. This article investigates how electoral opportunities – i.e., potential to mobilize new voters – and loyalty – i.e., likelihood of retaining current supporters – influence parties' decisions to expand or narrow their policy focus. To analyze this, the study integrates three decades of population data from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems and European Election Studies with data on parties' issue focus obtained from the Manifesto Project. The analysis shows that parties strategically balance their focus between core and peripheral issues based on the anticipated utility of each approach. This strategy, however, depends on the stability of voter loyalty: expansion into new issues occurs primarily when voter loyalty is robust, although strong opportunities alone can also encourage agenda broadening. These findings contribute to understanding the calculated risks parties take in adjusting their issue attention and highlight why policy adjustments often backfire; namely, when misaligned with voters' availability on the market. This study speaks to the literature on party competition and representation in Europe, illuminating how electoral dynamics shape parties' policy focus.

Blockchain for securing electronic voting systems: a survey of architectures, trends, solutions, and challenges

AbstractElectronic voting (e-voting) systems are gaining increasing attention as a means to modernize electoral processes, enhance transparency, and boost voters’ participation. In recent years, significant developments have occurred in the study of e-voting and blockchain technology systems, hence reshaping many electoral systems globally. For example, real-world implementations of blockchain-based e-voting have been explored in various countries, such as Estonia and Switzerland, which demonstrates the potential of blockchain to enhance the security and transparency of elections. Thus, in this paper, we present a survey of the latest trends in the development of e-voting systems, focusing on the integration of blockchain technology as a promising solution to address various concerns in e-voting, including security, transparency, auditability, and voting integrity. This survey is important because existing survey articles do not cover the latest advancements in blockchain technology for e-voting, particularly as it relates to architecture, global trends, and current concerns in the developmental process. Thus, we address this gap by providing an encompassing overview of architectures, developments, concerns, and solutions in e-voting systems based on the use of blockchain technology. Specifically, a concise summary of the information necessary for implementing blockchain-based e-voting solutions is provided. Furthermore, we discuss recent advances in blockchain systems, which aim to enhance scalability and performance in large-scale voting scenarios. We also highlight the fact that the implementation of blockchain-based e-voting systems faces challenges, including cybersecurity risks, resource intensity, and the need for robust infrastructure, which must be addressed to ensure the scalability and reliability of these systems. This survey also points to the ongoing development in the field, highlighting future research directions such as improving the efficiency of blockchain algorithms and integrating advanced cryptographic techniques to further enhance security and trust in e-voting systems. Hence, by analyzing the current state of e-voting systems and blockchain technology, insights have been provided into the opportunities and challenges in the field with opportunities for future research and development efforts aimed at creating more secure, transparent, and inclusive electoral processes.

Impact of information shortcuts on preferential voting: Gender and ballot position effects in Luxembourg and Switzerland

AbstractFree party lists provide voters with greater freedom of choice than other electoral systems, allowing them to select candidates within and between parties. Given that free party lists are cognitively highly demanding, voters have incentives to use shortcuts to discriminate between candidates. This study uses multilevel linear regression models to analyze the effect of candidates' gender and ballot position on preference voting in Luxembourg and Switzerland. Our results show that both candidates' gender and ballot position have a significant effect on their preference voting share and provide evidence on how they interact in intraparty competition. Candidates' ballot position has an inverse J‐shaped effect on their preference vote share. This effect varies with candidates' gender in both countries but works in different directions. Our findings have important implications for electoral system design, outlining the potential consequences of alphabetical and party‐ordered lists for candidates' chances and for electoral gender quotas' effectiveness under intraparty preference voting procedures.

The Tradition of The Emirate Over The Country

As the Islamic religion has been perfected by Allah SWT, Islam does not only regulate matters of worship and morals and the afterlife but also regulates worldly affairs including how to live socially and as a state. The Republic of Indonesia adopts a presidential system, namely the President as head of state and also as head of government, contained in the 1945 Constitution article 4 paragraph (1). The purpose of this study is to find out and compare how the leader election system in Indonesia is in accordance with Islam which is represented here by the thoughts of Imam Mawardi. This study uses a qualitative approach with a library method. The results show that the election and appointment of the Head are regulated in laws and regulations, both regarding administrative requirements and technical requirements. In a situation of political dynamics, it affects the substance of every change in laws and regulations that occur, so that the assumption that states that law is a political product is undeniable. This situation occurs in the legislation that regulates the election of Regional Heads which also experiences changes according to the political interests of the ruler. While the election in Islam in al-Mawardi's perception is by two methods, namely, the election of the head of state by the Ahlu al-hal wa al-aqdi institution or the people's representative council. Then the direct appointment of the head of state first. Then the comparison between the system of electing the head of state between the law and the figure of al-Mawardi is if we look at the times of Indonesia during the old order and the new order, there is relevance to al-Mawardi's view, namely the election of the head of state through representatives and direct appointment by the head of state first.

Hambatan pengoperasian variabel teknis Pemilu terhadap keterwakilan perempuan di DPR

The low representation of women in the Indonesian DPR (People's Consultative Assembly) indicates a problem with the electoral system. Women's concerns cannot be translated into policy if they are not directly involved in decision-making. The study aims to identify the factors that contribute to the low representation of women in the DPR, specifically examining the operation of indirect and direct election technical variables. The research uses a literature review approach to understand the concepts of the electoral system, democracy, the party system, and affirmation policies. The findings reveal that the affirmation policy, which focuses primarily on the election formula, is insufficient to guarantee women's representation in the DPR. Other technical variables are considered detrimental to women's representation. Despite the implementation of the affirmation policy, the number of women in the DPR has not reached a critical mass from the 2004 to 2019 elections.

Federal State Relation and Free and Fair Elections in Nigeria.

The conduct of free and fair elections was a cornerstone of democratic governance, and in Nigeria, this required a concerted effort between federal and state governments. This paper adopted a descriptive contextual analysis to explore the necessary level of interaction between these governmental layers to ensure electoral integrity, with a focus on the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria. The contextual analysis method involves examining the electoral framework, historical election data, government policies, and stakeholder interactions. This method allows for a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics that influence electoral integrity in Nigeria. Key sources included publications from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reports from international election observers, and scholarly articles on electoral processes in Nigeria. This research identified critical areas where enhanced collaboration between federal and state authorities could mitigate electoral malpractices and improve election outcomes. At the federal level, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was responsible for overseeing national elections, while state electoral commissions managed local elections. The interaction between these entities was crucial for harmonizing electoral processes, ensuring uniformity in the application of laws, and maintaining a consistent standard of electoral conduct across the nation. Effective coordination facilitated better resource allocation, improved security measures, and enhanced voter education initiatives. Despite the established electoral system, Nigeria faced several challenges, including electoral violence, voter intimidation, ballot box snatching, and vote buying. These issues eroded public confidence in the electoral process and hindered the realization of genuinely democratic outcomes. This study proposed several solutions to address these problems, emphasizing the need for a multi-faceted approach. Key solutions included strengthening the legal framework to deter electoral offenses, enhancing the capacity and independence of electoral bodies, deploying technology for transparent and efficient vote counting, and fostering a culture of political accountability. Additionally, public awareness campaigns and civic education programs were essential to empower citizens to demand electoral integrity and resist corrupt practices. The level of interaction needed by the federal and state governments in Nigeria to ensure free and fair elections was substantial and multifaceted. By fostering robust collaboration, enhancing the electoral system, and addressing systemic issues through comprehensive reforms, Nigeria could achieve more credible and transparent elections. This study provided a roadmap for policymakers, electoral bodies, and civil society organizations to work together towards this goal, ultimately strengthening Nigeria's democratic foundations.

Information and computing system based on smart contracts for online voting

The purpose of research.The actual problem in voting systems is not the prevention of fraud and the failure to ensure the integrity of elections. Therefore, the task of building a system of safe and transparent voting is urgent.The purpose of the research is design and develop an information and computing system based on smart contacts for online voting.Methods. The presented system has the form of a decentralized system that can overcome a number of limitations, such as the likelihood of human error, falsification of voting results and problems with accessibility, using blockchain technology, which provides protection against unauthorized access and transparent record keeping.The use of smart contract technology also ensures that the voting process will be automated, transparent and secure. Thanks to the ability to execute self-executing contracts based on predefined rules, smart contracts can eliminate the need for intermediaries, reduce the likelihood of errors and ensure a high degree of accountability.Results. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed system, testing was carried out, after which a comparative analysis was made with other similar systems.The system can ensure that votes are counted accurately and cannot be manipulated, thereby increasing confidence in the results of the voting process. In addition, the system can potentially reduce the costs associated with traditional voting methods and improve accessibility for voters, since it can be accessed remotely via a web interface.In general, the system will be of interest to various organizations and individuals seeking to conduct safe and transparent voting processes.Conclusion. The use of this software product will provide security and convenience when participating in various online voting, reliable storage of votes and the provision of detailed statistics on the conducted voting.

Electoral reform in Ukraine: main achievements and impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war

The article is devoted to the electoral reform in Ukraine in the context of European integration processes and the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, including after the full-scale invasion. The results of the electoral reform implementation in 2019-2021 are summarised. The author describes the achievements of the 2019 election campaigns in terms of adherence to the principles of transparency, competitiveness, and democracy, as well as recommendations for further improvement of the electoral legislation. The author emphasises the importance of codifying the regulatory framework for elections. It is noted that the adoption of the Electoral Code and its further implementation contributed to the stabilisation and integration ofelectoral legislation. The author identifies the key achievements of the electoral reform: the introduction of a proportional system with open regional party lists, ensuring the voting rights of internally displaced persons, the introduction of gender quotas, and the creation of conditions for voting by people with disabilities. The negative impact of the full-scale Russian aggression on the electoral reform, which largely concerns the system of election organisation, is investigated. The author identifies the factors that complicate the organisation and conduct of elections in wartime: the inability to guarantee the safety of electoral participants, significant financial costs, the difficulty of ensuring proper voting in the face of rocket attacks, etc. The author concludes that it is impossible to hold elections under the legal regime of martial law. The article reveals the content of the new tasks of reforming the electoral system caused by the full-scale war. The author emphasises the need to continue the electoral reform initiated before the full-scale war as a condition for the successful implementation of Ukraine's European integration aspirations.

Democracy in Local Communities: Direct Election System versus Deliberation System in the Minangkabau Ethnicity in West Sumatra, Indonesia

This paper focuses on the dissonance between the values of the democracy of local communities and the liberal democracy of the Minangkabau community in West Sumatra, Indonesia. A direct election system is adopted to elect the leader of the Minangkabau community. However, a qualitative study shows that, culturally, the Minangkabau community chooses its leader through a clan-based deliberation system, relying on communal rather than individual representation. Adopting direct election with the one-person-one- vote principle to elect the community leader has instead been a source of conflict. The ambiguous understanding of the community members regarding the principles of individual and collective representation has given rise to the conflict. The institutionalisation of a clan-based deliberation system in the community is a solution to solve the conflict. This scholarly inquiry underscores that the Minangkabau ethnic group's democratic ethos fosters an environment conducive to communal deliberations, thereby sustaining their social cohesion and integration.

Running uphill: A comparative analysis of the gender gap in campaign financing

AbstractWomen are not a demographic minority, but they certainly are a minority in politics. Most legislative bodies across the world are still overwhelmingly male. Female candidates cite lack of resources as one of the main deterrents to run. Using data on candidates encompassing twenty‐eight elections in sixteen countries between 2006 and 2017, we examine the role of electoral institutions, partisanship and candidates’ political profile in mitigating – or aggravating – the gender resource gap. We find that female candidates systematically avail of significantly lower campaign budgets. This is true across different electoral systems and on the left as well as on the right. The gap is larger in size among incumbents. It is also wider in parties that use voluntary quotas and put forward more female candidates. Moreover, the budget composition of male and female candidates varies considerably. Male candidates tend to use higher proportions of their own resources, while female candidates rely on proportionally higher party contributions, that are, however, smaller in size.

RADT-12. DERIVING IMAGING BIOMARKERS FOR PRIMARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM LYMPHOMA USING DEEP LEARNING

Abstract PURPOSE Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is typically treated with chemotherapy, steroids, and/or whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Determining which patients benefit from WBRT after chemotherapy and which are adequately treated with chemotherapy alone remains a clinical challenge. Although WBRT is associated with improved outcomes, it also carries a risk of neurocognitive side effects. This study aims to refine PCNSL patient phenotyping by leveraging deep learning (DL) extracted imaging biomarkers to enable personalized therapy. METHODS Our study included 71 patients treated between 2009-2021. The primary outcome of interest was overall survival (OS) assessed at one- and two-year cutoffs. The DL model leveraged an 8-layer 2D convolutional neural network analyzing individual slices of post-contrast T1-weighted pre-treatment MRI scans. Survival predictions utilized a weighted voting system related to tumor size. Model performance was assessed with accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and F1 scores. Time-dependent AUCs were calculated and C-statistics were computed to summarize the results. Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis assessed differences between low and high-risk groups and were evaluated using the log-rank test. RESULTS The cohort’s average age was 65.6 years with average OS of 2.80 years. For one-year OS, the model achieved an AUC of 0.73 (0.60-0.85), accuracy of 0.73 (0.61-0.82), sensitivity of 0.72 (0.54–0.85), and specificity of 0.73 (0.58–0.84). For two-year OS, the model achieved an AUC of 0.70 (0.58-0.82), accuracy of 0.70 (0.58-0.79), sensitivity of 0.68 (0.55–0.81), and specificity of 0.71 (0.55–0.84). Model performance is presented with respective 95% confidence intervals. KM curves showed the one and two-year models effectively discriminated between low- and high-risk group, reporting c-statistics of 0.73 (p<.001) and 0.71 (p<.001) respectively. A sub-analysis confirmed consistent model performance across different tumor volumes and focality. CONCLUSION DL classifiers of PCNSL MRIs can stratify patient phenotypes beyond traditional risk paradigms. Given dissensus surrounding PCNSL treatment, DL can augment risk stratification and treatment personalization, especially with regards to WBRT decision making.

Online Voting System Using Blockchain: A Secure and Transparent Approach

Blockchain technology has emerged as a viable solution for secure and transparent digital voting systems. Traditional voting systems, particularly online voting mechanisms, are often vulnerable to security risks such as hacking, tampering, and vote manipulation. Furthermore, maintaining voter anonymity and ensuring data integrity are significant challenges. Blockchain, with its distributed and immutable ledger, offers potential solutions by providing a secure and decentralized approach to recording votes. This paper explores the architecture, implementation, and advantages of a blockchain-based online voting system that leverages the security features of blockchain technology to improve the voting process. By utilizing cryptographic principles and decentralized data storage, the system enhances transparency, reduces fraud risks, and ensures that votes remain immutable. The proposed system includes mechanisms for voter registration, vote casting, and result verification, all of which are secured by smart contracts. Experimental results demonstrate that blockchain can maintain voter anonymity, resist tampering, and provide an auditable voting trail. Additionally, the study discusses challenges in scalability, latency, and regulatory compliance, offering insights into potential improvements and future work. Overall, the research indicates that blockchain based voting has the potential to transform electoral processes, providing a trusted digital voting alternative that aligns with democratic principles. Key Words: Blockchain Technology, Digital Voting, Online Voting Systems, Data Integrity, Transparency, Security, Cryptography, Smart Contracts, Voter Anonymity, Tamper-Resistance, Immutable Ledger, Scalability, Decentralization.

What Drives the Impact of Personalization in Western Europe?

ABSTRACT The personalisation of politics has been widely studied in the past few decades, especially in Western Europe, from several viewpoints, from the electoral to the party-centered one, from the governmental to the media-related one. Nonetheless, very few contributions have focused on the determinants of personalization, even if this latter process might be linked to more general – and much relevant –societal, institutional, or party-related phenomena. In this article, we aim to fill this gap by proposing a novel framework to explain the evolution of the impact of the personalization of politics – i.e., the fact that personalization has had a stronger or weaker influence – in Western Europe between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s. We depart from cross-time and cross-country data collected in the first expert survey on the personalization of politics (the PoPES) and investigate the effect of three sets of possible determinants: societal changes (the decrease in the strength of the class cleavage or the diffusion of TV), institutional factors (the presence of presidential elections or personal-vote-driving electoral systems’ features), and party-related changes (the organizational decline of Western European parties). Regression analyses show that almost none of these determinants have influenced personalization's impact in Western Europe.

Comparison of the Selection Systems for Elite Art Talents in China and the UK: A Case Study on Art Entrance Examinations

Abstract: This paper compares the selection systems for elite art talents in China and the UK, using art entrance examinations as a case study. The study explores the differences, underlying reasons, problems, and reflections on the two countries selection systems, and proposes relatively detailed reform plans. The research concludes that while Chinas unified examination system is rigorous, it is overly rigid and fails to fully consider students professional interests, potentially leading to the loss of promising talents. On the other hand, the UKs selection criteria, though flexible, are highly subjective and tend to overlook the training of basic skills, potentially favoring innovation at the expense of technical ability. It is suggested that both countries should learn from each others strengths to further reform their systems. China could adopt the UKs A-Level system, gradually reform the unified examination into an elective system, and establish a national-level art recommendation letter system with endorsements from artists as core evaluators. Meanwhile, the UK could learn from Chinas nine-year compulsory education system by popularizing art education and emphasizing the cultivation of technical skills, with the reform of one technical skill subject into a compulsory examination subject.

SISTEMA ELEITORAL PROPORCIONAL DE LISTA ABERTA: CRÍTICAS DA CIÊNCIA POLÍTICA AO SISTEMA ELEITORAL DO BRASIL

The open-list proportional electoral system is used in democracies such as Brazil for the election of its legislative representatives. This system, however, has been subject to criticism in political science, both in Brazil and internationally, due to its effects on party structure, voter behavior, and the political process in general. This article examines the main theoretical criticisms of the open-list proportional system, discussing issues such as party fragmentation, campaign personalization, distortion of the popular will, intraparty competition, difficulty in electoral accountability, and the tendency toward personalist voting.

Research on the Reform and Transformation of Singapore's Political Election System and Political System

Singapore is an important country in Southeast Asia, which has been established for less than 60 years. In the early days of its establishment, its survival situation was very difficult. But under the struggle of the People's Action Party (PAP) led by Lee Kuan Yew and the "founding generation" of the people, Singapore has harmoniously coexisted with different ethnic and religious groups and has forcefully embarked on a rapid development path. According to data released by the World Bank, as of 2022, Singapore's per capita GDP has reached over 82000 US dollars and has been steadily increasing for many years. The People's Action Party has won every election since its founding and has been in power ever since. However, as the public increasingly enjoys the oversight and balance of the government by the opposition in parliament, the party's support rate for the election has gradually declined, and its vote share in the most recent election has dropped to 60%. The rapid development of Singapore since its founding cannot be separated from the continuity policies implemented by the fixed ruling party, which attract a large amount of foreign capital investment. However, the people's call for democracy forces the ruling party to face strong opposition in the upcoming general election. For the ruling party, more support from voters for the opposition party has entered an irreversible path. This article will explore the path of political system reform in Singapore.

What makes political parties to elect more women? a cross-country comparison

ABSTRACT While women are gaining ground in national parliaments worldwide, the number of female representatives varies greatly between political parties. Since parties themselves can reflect gender biases, they play a key role in shaping women’s representation. Building on the existing literature, this research note examines the interplay between electoral systems, national institutions, and party characteristics to understand these disparities. By analysing data from over 200 parties across 42 legislatures in 24 countries, our results shed light on factors influencing female representation in parliamentary parties and offer valuable insights for promoting gender parity in parliaments.

Trust in electronic voting: the Estonian case

The article is devoted to researching the problem of creating and using such a transparent and secure voting technology, which would not only have a high level of trust, but also the potential to strengthen the legitimacy of constitutional orders, using the example of the 2023 Estonian parliamentary elections. The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that for Ukraine the use of electronic election technologies, in particular electronic voting itself, especially now, is the most discussed near future. It is organically connected with amendments to the election and referendum legislation of Ukraine. The subject of the study is electronic voting, establishing its results and the procedure for contesting them in Estonian electoral practice. The purpose of the article is to refute or confirm the thesis about the ability of electronic voting to have such a support and level of trust that it can completely replace the traditional way of voting, using the example of the Estonian experience. The research uses the method of analysis and synthesis of scientific information, empirical and dialectical methods of scientific knowledge. The model of electronic voting, counting of votes and their appeal was studied. It has been established that the legislation lays the foundation for falsifications with the use of broad discretionary powers of the electoral process administration bodies. The main factors that can undermine confidence in the institution are analyzed. Among them are the questionable constitutionality of the powers of the central administrative bodies, the lack of independent observers of the internal work of the electronic voting system, and significant shortcomings in the procedure for contesting the results. Special attention is paid to analytical studies, judicial practice is analyzed. It was found that in order to increase the transparency of the elections, it is necessary to use end-to-end verification methods and ensure quality audit at all critical stages of determining the results of online voting. An interim conclusion was made about the impracticality of completely replacing the traditional paper method of voting with a remote one, at least in the near term, due to insufficient security guarantees.

Exploring the connection between electoral systems and personalized behaviour among politicians and voters

AbstractThe personalization of politics includes electoral reforms that give voters more opportunity to select individual representatives as well as behavioural personalization among voters and politicians. Institutional research suggests that the latter is a function of the former, but it remains unclear whether the association between the two types of personalization is actually causal. In order to get empirical leverage on this question, we analyze local elections in Denmark, which feature within‐district and within‐party variation in the openness of party lists. Using detailed information on the behaviour of politicians and voters, we find that, once we take differences between districts and parties into account, the personalization of electoral rules has a negligible effect on behavioural personalization.

CONDUCTING ELECTIONS TO THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN: ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTRAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION AND MODERN MECHANISMS FOR ENSURING LEGITIMACY

This article examines the role and importance of the new electoral system. This year, the Republic of Uzbekistan held elections for the first time under a new mixed electoral system, which will combine elements of the majoritarian and proportional electoral systems. In previous years, parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan were held under a majoritarian system, which provided for the creation of single-mandate constituencies and voters voting for specific candidates from parties represented in a particular constituency.