Runoff
A runoff election is held if the majority required for a decision was not achieved in a previous ballot . If a runoff election takes place in politics, it is officially called the second ballot , third ballot , fourth ballot or fifth ballot , depending on how many ballots are necessary for the runoff election (see example election of the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein 2005 ).
In some elections, only those who have more than half of the votes (or the votes of more than half of the members) are elected. If no candidate achieves this majority , even with a possibly specified number of repetitions, a new ballot as a runoff may be necessary according to the election regulations . As a rule, only the two candidates with the most votes run.
Options
If you want to save the effort for a second election day in public political elections, there are two options:
- The (only) ballot paper offers the opportunity to cast a substitute vote. It may be perceived as a disadvantage that the usual two to three weeks between the ballots, which give the two candidates the opportunity to advertise again, are eliminated.
- The ranking order (election with immediate runoff, English "Instant Runoff Voting") has an additional advantage over an election with only one runoff later: It explores and follows the will of the voters more closely. It combines several ballots in one election act, as many as necessary. Of course, it requires a little more attention from the voter and more work when counting.
commitment
In Germany, run-off elections are provided for in numerous federal states as part of the municipal suffrage for the election of the main administrative officials (e.g. district administrator , mayor , lord mayor ).
In countries where the president is directly elected by the people (e.g. France), there is also a runoff between the first and second place.
example
The following example is intended to illustrate why several ballots may be necessary. The dessert is to be voted on; apples, pears, cherries, cakes and ice cream were proposed.
| First ballot | |
|---|---|
| dessert | be right |
| Apples | 2 |
| Pears | 2 |
| Cherries | 1 |
| cake | 3 |
| ice | 4th |
So you can see that a majority is for ice cream. However, if all those who voted for fruit would rather have some kind of fruit than cake or ice cream, then obviously the actual will of the voters was not being met. Worse still, a runoff between the two candidates with the most votes, as is often the case, does not promote the will of the electorate. Only in further ballots, which could look like this, for example, will it become apparent what a majority of voters actually consider the best solution:
| Second ballot | |
|---|---|
| dessert | be right |
| Apples | 3 |
| Pears | 2 |
| cake | 3 |
| ice | 4th |
| Third ballot | |
|---|---|
| dessert | be right |
| fruit | 5 |
| cake | 3 |
| ice | 4th |
Now, of course, for the same reason, a fourth ballot must follow, which will be decided by how many of the cake fans prefer ice cream or prefer fruit.
In actual elections, for example, the correspondence to different types of dessert could be political camps such as “right” and “left”, where it would be absurd if a camp had poorer chances just because it had more candidates to which the votes could be divided. In real political situations, however, it must of course also be taken into account that if there are too many ballots, voters are deterred by the effort, which is why one often limits oneself to a simple runoff election - i.e. a second and last ballot.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entire legal regulation for the Federal Presidential Election Act 1971 - Federal Law Consolidated, Version of April 25, 2016. In: ris.bka.gv.at. Retrieved April 25, 2016 .
- ↑ § 44a KomWG, required number of votes, second ballot - federal and state laws. In: lexsoft.de. Retrieved April 25, 2016 .