Preferential Voting: Theoretical Approach and Empirical Consequences

Elections are crucial in politics. However, the extent to which this is true depends greatly on the electoral system in question. Although the comparative research on electoral systems represents a well-established and mature field, challenges remain. In particular, the “within-parties” dimension is still relatively undeveloped. Although some research and case study contributions have emerged, a lack of basic comparative data on the intraparty dimension limits the testing of theory. This chapter furnishes a definition of preferential voting, and a discussion of the concept. Moreover, the text analyses the electoral and partisan dynamics related to the intraparty competition. What are the expected results in terms of parliamentary turnover and the PLPR variables that can affect this process and other electoral outcomes, such as the ENP, the volatility, and the turnover? On this line, the chapter also provides an index of preferential voting measuring voters’ power.