Flermandatskretsar

Flermandatskretsar, in English commonly translated as multi-member electoral districts, are electoral districts that elect more than one representative to a legislative body. They are a typical feature of proportional representation systems, where input from voters in a district translates into multiple seats rather than a single winner-takes-all seat. The key attribute is district magnitude, the number of seats allocated to the district, which is greater than one.

In these districts, voters typically cast ballots for parties or for individual candidates. The allocation of seats within a district is usually performed using proportional methods, such as the D’Hondt or Sainte-Laguë methods. Some systems use open lists, allowing voters to influence the order of candidates on a party list, while others employ closed lists, where the party determines the ranking. In many cases, district results contribute to a national or regional proportionality, with additional leveling or compensatory seats used to correct imbalances and strengthen overall proportional representation.

The use of multi-member districts generally increases proportionality, enabling smaller parties to gain representation and reducing the number of wasted votes. It can influence campaign strategies, party organization, and voter behavior, including the handling of preferences and list ordering. Critics point to potential declines in local accountability or strategic complexities in boundary drawing, though distortions from malapportionment are typically less pronounced in properly designed proportional systems.

Examples and variations occur worldwide. Nordic countries such as Sweden and Norway employ multi-member district structures within their proportional representation frameworks, while other nations adopt similar constructs tailored to their constitutional and electoral rules.