Osuusäänestä

Osuusäänestä, often translated as "proportional representation" or "share vote" in English, is a Finnish electoral system used for electing representatives to various bodies, most notably the Eduskunta (Finnish Parliament). It is a form of party-list proportional representation, meaning that seats are allocated to political parties based on the proportion of votes they receive.

In this system, voters cast a ballot for a specific candidate from a party's list. However, the primary allocation of seats is done at the party level. The total number of votes for each party determines its share of the seats available in a given electoral district. Once a party's quota of seats is determined, these seats are then filled by the candidates who received the most individual votes within that party in that district. This dual focus on both party and individual candidate support is a key characteristic of the osuusäänestä system.

The electoral districts in Finland are geographically defined, and the number of seats to be filled varies per district. The d'Hondt method is commonly used to calculate the exact number of seats each party is entitled to. This method aims to achieve a proportional distribution of seats, ensuring that smaller parties have a reasonable chance of gaining representation if they can meet a certain vote threshold. The goal is to reflect the overall popular vote as accurately as possible in the composition of the elected body.