How the System Works:

There are many variations of party list voting, but the most basic form is the closed party accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters system. The system is quite simple; rather than voting in a single-member accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters for a specific candidate, electors vote for a party in a accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters-member constituency, or sometimes a whole country.
Each party's list of candidates, ranked according to the party's accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters, is published on the ballot paper. All the votes are counted and each party receives seats in the constituency in the same accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters as the votes it won in that constituency.
A accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters is calculated for the constituency - the number of votes required to win one seat. Those who become the party's MPs, will be those placed accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters in the party's list of candidates. Voters simply vote for the accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters, they have no say as to which candidates are elected.
An accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters party list system is one that allows the voter to vote either for the list as published or to vote for an individual accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters, wherever that candidate appears on the party's list. The possible effect of this is to alter the accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters in which candidates have been placed on the list, and therefore the list of successful candidates, while still registering support for the voter's preferred party. Seats are allocated according to the number of quotas won.

The system is used:
in most countries in continental Europe, South Africa, Israel and Russia, and was used in accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters for the 1999 European Election (Northern Ireland will retain STV).

Arguments used in favour:
The strength of such systems are that they guarantee a high degree of party accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters. If a party receives 32% of the vote, then it will get 32% of the seats in parliament. Every vote has the same accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters.
The system is also very simple for accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters, who have only to make one choice for a party out of a small selection.


Weaknesses:
With closed party lists, voters have little or no effective accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters over candidates, they only get control over which party is in government, but with no control over the members of that government.
Party lists do nothing to ensure fair accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters for traditionally under-represented groups in society, and in fact could do the opposite, since party leaders are most likely to choose people from a similar background to represent the party.
Parties can stifle independent and minority opinion within their ranks. Because of the very large constituencies, there is little chance for accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters to voters and no accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters connection between members and voters. The system keeps power out of the hands of voters and firmly in the hands of party accountabilityBritaincandidatechoiceconstituencyhighestleadershiplistlocalmultiopenorderpartypreferenceproportionproportionalityquotarepresentationvaluevoters.