Electoral Systems Questions
The alternative vote top-up electoral system, also known as the mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system, is a voting system that combines elements of both the alternative vote (AV) and the party list systems. In this system, voters have two votes: one for a candidate in their single-member constituency using the AV method, and another for a political party using a party list. The top-up element comes into play when the number of seats a party wins through the constituency vote is not proportional to its overall share of the popular vote. In such cases, additional seats are allocated to parties based on their overall vote share to ensure a more proportional representation in the legislature. This system aims to balance the benefits of both constituency representation and proportional representation.