What happens when open-list proportional representation elections replace closed-list ones? This article reveals that parties with internal disagreement on key issues may benefit. Under a closed system, voters tend to support unified parties; however, with open lists allowing candidate selection by voters, specific candidates within divided parties can attract supporters.
This effect was demonstrated using experimental data from a hypothetical European Parliament election in the UK. The study found that when switching to an open-list ballot format, support shifted away from UKIP (the Eurosceptic party) and toward individual Eurosceptic Conservative Party candidates.
Experimental Findings:
The shift occurred because voters previously loyal to UKIP were drawn to alternative Conservative candidates they might not have otherwise considered.
Key Implications:
This suggests that open-list ballots can restrict support for single-issue parties while potentially allowing more moderate or multi-issue parties greater influence. The results highlight the complex relationship between electoral systems and party behavior.
| Open/Closed List and Party Choice: Experimental Evidence from the U.K. was authored by Jack Blumenau, Andrew C. Eggers, Dominik Hangartner and Simon Hix. It was published by Cambridge in BJPS in 2017. |
