Grootsterestmethoden

Grootsterestmethoden, a Dutch term translating to "greatest remainder methods," refers to a class of proportional representation electoral systems used to allocate seats in a legislature based on the votes received by political parties. These methods are designed to ensure that the number of seats a party wins is as close as possible to its proportion of the total votes cast.

The core principle behind greatest remainder methods is to distribute a fixed number of seats among parties. Initially, each party is allocated a certain number of seats based on the whole number of times their vote share fits into a calculated quota. The remaining seats are then distributed one by one to the parties that have the largest remaining fractions of votes. This process aims to minimize the disparity between a party's vote share and its seat share.

Several variations of greatest remainder methods exist, with the most common being the Hare quota and the Droop quota. The Hare quota is calculated by dividing the total number of votes by the total number of seats. The Droop quota, on the other hand, is calculated by dividing the total number of votes by the number of seats plus one, and then adding one to the result. The choice of quota can influence the final seat allocation.

Greatest remainder methods are known for their simplicity and ease of understanding. They tend to favor larger parties more than some other proportional representation systems, but they generally provide a relatively fair representation of voter preferences compared to first-past-the-post systems. Their application can be found in various electoral contexts around the world, often as a means to achieve a more proportional outcome in multi-member constituencies.