An Introduction to Electoral Systems

• History, Typology and Key Examples
• Višeslav Raos

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In the book An Introduction to Electoral Systems, political scientist and university professor Višeslav Raos provides a comprehensive historical overview of types of elections and electoral systems, as well as basic psephological concepts. Using examples from a number of European and non-European countries, the author analyzes different electoral models, the importance and complexity of the struggle for universal democratic suffrage throughout history, and compares and evaluates the effects of electoral systems. All of the above is a good basis for drawing informed conclusions about past, present, and future elections, electoral practices, and electoral reforms.
The book is intended for researchers and students of political science, sociology, law, history, journalism, and other related social and humanistic disciplines, but not only for them — it will also be interesting and useful for the general public who want to be educated in the direction of active citizenship and want to participate in the electoral process in a more meaningful and thoughtful way. It will also be useful to the creators of media content in better monitoring and reporting on election processes, and it should definitely be read by the candidates themselves in the elections and political office holders at the local, national or European level.

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Elections are the basis of modern democracy, and democratization as a historical process can most easily be described as the process of expanding the right to vote, or rather the process of moving the boundaries of the political community. (...) Today, it is understood that elections should be free, fair and secret, but these characteristics are also a relatively recent phenomenon in history. Electoral manipulation and electoral violence are a fundamental part of the history of elections and electoral systems, as well as the history of individuals and movements that fought for the inclusion of a group in the electorate or for the reform of existing electoral rules.

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The basic guiding idea of ​​this book and the presented comparison of electoral systems is that there is no perfect electoral system, just as there is no, for example, a perfect tax system. No matter how carefully designed the design of an electoral system is and how politically, legally, mathematically and geographically based on facts and experiences, one of the electoral actors, whether on the supply side or the demand side, will always be relatively dissatisfied or at least more dissatisfied than the others. It is important that a clear majority of participants in the electoral process accept the electoral system as legitimate and do not dispute its results or outcomes.

Višeslav Raos

• ISBN: 978-953-369-056-8
• Dimensions: 170x240 mm
• Number of pages: 368
• Cover: paperback
• Year of the edition: 2025