Ausgleichmandaten

Ausgleichmandate, sometimes also called Ausgleichsmandate, are compensatory parliamentary seats used in Germany to preserve proportional representation after the distribution of constituency winners. They arise in the country’s mixed-member proportional representation system, where voters have a first vote for a direct candidate in a constituency and a second vote for a party list. The second votes determine the overall proportional entitlement of each party, while constituency winners determine who fills direct seats.

If a party wins more constituency seats (Überhangmandate) than its share of the second votes would entitle it to, its total number of seats would exceed its proportional claim. To restore the balance, additional seats are allocated to other parties—these are the Ausgleichmandate. In practice, this leveling process adjusts the Bundestag’s size so that, on the whole, parties’ seat totals reflect their proportion of the Zweitstimme, using a method similar to the Sainte-Laguë approach.

The concept serves the goal of proportionality in representation, but it also leads to fluctuations in the Bundestag’s size from election to election. Over the years, the use of Ausgleichmandate has been a point of political and legal discussion, contributing to debates about reforming the electoral system and the size of the parliament. See also Überhangmandat for related phenomena in the same system.