Single-mandate constituencies in elections to the Senate of the Republic of Poland (2011–2019) – the problem of voting weight Cover Image

Jednomandatowe okręgi wyborcze w wyborach do Senatu RP (2011–2019) – problem wagi głosu
Single-mandate constituencies in elections to the Senate of the Republic of Poland (2011–2019) – the problem of voting weight

Author(s): Andrzej Stec
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Governance, Public Administration
Published by: Kancelaria Sejmu
Keywords: elections to the Senate of the Republic of Poland; single-member constituencies;voting weight; equality principle;Shapley-Shubik voting power index;Banzhaf voting power index; Gallagher index

Summary/Abstract: The issue of electoral law in elections to the Senate of the Republic of Poland arouses great interest among lawyers, political scientists and representatives of exact sciences (especially mathematicians). Both the fundamental principles of electoral law and the principles guiding the basic elements of the electoral system were included in the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. These provisions are not numerous, although crucial for the construction of the electoral system. The wrong tendency and practice of making changes to the electoral law just before the election prompted the legislator to introduce single-mandate constituencies. The adoption of the Electoral Code was also aimed at avoiding the manipulation of changes in constituencies under the influence of poll results, and highlighted the problem of implementing the constitutional provisions in this matter. Unfortunately, the literature on the subject often underestimates the weight of the vote and the estimation of voting power, which translates into the construction of a fair electoral system. The authors tried to present in the article changes in the electoral system against the background of domestic and foreign experience, using methods characteristic of the humanities and sciences.

  • Issue Year: 2021
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 153-179
  • Page Count: 27
  • Language: English, Polish