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WikiProject Political Parties
A by-election or bye-election (called special election in the United States) is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly-scheduled elections. An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Sortition, also known as allotment, is an equal-chance method of selection by some form of lottery such as drawing coloured pebbles from a bag Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an Election. A show election or a sham election is an Election that is held purely for show that is without any significant political purpose A Fixed-term election is an Election that occurs on a set date and cannot be changed by the incumbent politician A general election is an Election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election A primary election ( nominating primary) also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a Jurisdiction select candidates Indirect election is a process in which voters in an Election do not actually choose between candidates for an office but rather elect persons who will then make the choice Local Elections vary widely across Jurisdictions In Electoral systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a terminology has evolved A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita Apportionment is the process of allocating political power among a set of principles (or defined constituencies In multiple-party democratic primary elections crossover voting refers to a technique used by voters in which ballots are cast for the party a voter is opposed to in order to elect Gerrymandering is a form of redistribution in which electoral district or Constituency boundaries are manipulated for electoral advantage Redistricting, a form of redistribution, is the process of changing of political Borders in the United States The secret ballot is a voting method in which a Voter 's choices are confidential Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral A voting system allows voters to choose between options often in an Election where candidates are selected for public office. Elections by country gives information on Elections For each De jure and De facto sovereign state and dependent territory The list of election results by country gives information on Elections For each De jure and De facto sovereign state and The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office Usually this occurs when the incumbent has died or resigned, but it may also occur when the incumbent becomes ineligible to continue in office, for example because of a recall or a sufficiently serious criminal conviction. A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office Historically, members of some parliaments were required to seek re-election upon being appointed to a ministerial post. A minister or a secretary is a Politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional Government. The subsequent by-elections were termed ministerial by-elections.
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In single member constituencies
By-elections are held in most nations that elect their parliaments through single-member constituencies, whether with or without a runoff round. A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures goals or loyalty The two-round system (also known as the second ballot or runoff voting) is a Voting system used to elect a single winner The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member This includes most Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as France and Pakistan. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and In the United States they are called special elections, and are held when a seat in Congress, a state legislature or at the local level has become vacant. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the legislative body of any of the country's 50 states.
In multi-member constituencies
When one seat in a proportional representation constituency becomes vacant, the consequences vary. Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes For example, a by-election may be held to fill just the vacancy or all the seats in the constituency become up for grabs in the by-election held.
Scotland and New Zealand still hold by-elections, despite having adopted the additional member system, in which members are also chosen by party lists. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Additional Member System (AMS is a branch of Voting systems in which some representatives are elected from geographic constituencies and others are elected under Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of Voting systems used in multiple-winner Elections (e The Republic of Ireland holds by-elections despite electing members in multi-member constituencies by the single transferable vote. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Single transferable vote (STV is a preferential Voting system designed to minimize Wasted votes and provide Proportional representation
Alternatives to holding a by-election include recounting the original votes while disregarding the candidate who has withdrawn as in Tasmania or the Australian Capital Territory, keeping the seat vacant until the next general election or nominating another candidate with the same affiliation as the one whose seat has become vacant – typically, in list systems, the next candidate on the party list. Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory A general election is an Election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election
Consequences
The vast majority of by-elections are unimportant and voter turnouts are seldom comparable with general elections. Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a Ballot in an Election. The governing party normally has a solid cushion so that losing a handful of seats would not affect their position. Because by-elections usually have little influence on the general governance, voters feel freer to elect smaller fringe parties. Parties on both the far right-wing and the far left-wing tend to do better in by-elections than in general elections. In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities A general election is an Election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election
However, by-elections can become crucial when the ruling party has only a small margin. In parliamentary systems, party discipline is strong enough so that the one common scenario for a vote of no confidence to occur is after the governing party loses enough by-elections to become a minority government. TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A parliament is a Legislature, especially in those A motion of no confidence (also vote of no confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or confidence motion) is a Parliamentary motion A minority government or a minority cabinet is a Cabinet of a Parliamentary system formed when the governing Political party or A recent UK example is the Labour government of James Callaghan 1976-79. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Leonard James Callaghan Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005 was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979
By-elections can also be important if a minority party needs to gain one or more seats in order to gain official party status or the balance of power in a minority or coalition situation. Official party status refers to the Canadian practice of recognizing political parties in the Parliament of Canada. For example, Andrea Horwath's win in an Ontario provincial by-election in 2004 allowed the Ontario NDP to regain official party status with important results in terms of parliamentary privileges and funding. Andrea Horwath (pronounced Horvath is a Politician in Ontario, Canada. Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Ontario New Democratic Party, formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a Social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada
By-elections may occur singly, or in small bunches, especially if the authority responsible for calling them has discretion over the timing and can procrastinate. They are sometimes bunched to save money as holding multiple by-elections is likely to cost more than holding a by-election to fill the vacancies all at once. In Canada, in 1978, 15 by-elections were held on a single date, restoring the House of Commons to 264 members. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) The media called it a "mini-election", a test of the Liberal government's popularity with a general election due in less than a year. The 15 districts stretched from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and produced some unexpected results, for example, an NDP candidate winning in Newfoundland for the first time.
Party leaders and media commentators often point to by-election victories as important signals, but very often by-elections hinge far more on local issues and the charisma of the candidates (especially under single-seat constituency systems) than on national issues or how the voters feel about the governing party. Nonetheless it can be shown historically that a main opposition party which performs consistently poorly in by-elections is unlikely to be a serious contender for power at the subsequent general election. Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government particularly in a Westminster -based Parliamentary system A general election is an Election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election
See also
- List of democracy and elections-related topics
- Lists of by-elections and special elections by jurisdiction
- Australia: List of Australian federal by-elections
- Canada: List of federal by-elections in Canada
- Ireland: List of Irish by-elections
- New Zealand: New Zealand by-elections
- Scotland: List of Scottish Parliamentary by-elections
- United Kingdom: List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United States: Special elections to the United States House of Representatives
- Wales: List of Welsh Assembly by-elections
External links
- Electing Local Authorities - article from the ACE Project
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