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44-457: The 2015 Spanish local elections were held on Sunday, 24 May 2015, to elect all 67,515 councillors in the 8,122 municipalities of Spain and all 1,040 seats in 38 provincial deputations . The elections were held simultaneously with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities , as well as elections in the three foral deputations of the Basque Country , the four island councils in

88-498: A Senator leaves office before their eight-year term ends, the first substitute takes their place, and then the second if needed. On the other hand, in political systems with a culture of by-elections, filling vacancies under Block Voting can be harder than in other voting methods. This is because by-elections to fill a single seat in a multi-member district can be expensive. In the Philippine Senate that has staggered elections ,

132-401: A coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election: Electors were disallowed from signing for more than one list of candidates. Provincial deputations were

176-719: A joint candidacy that included Podemos and United Left, among others, succeeded in Barcelona with Guanyem Barcelona , later Barcelona en Comú , under activist Ada Colau 's leadership. Another national party that decided to participate in most of these unitary candidacies was Equo , as well as minoritary parties like For a Fairer World (PUM+J), Building the Left–Socialist Alternative (CLI–AS), Republican Alternative (ALTER), Renewal–Nationalist Brotherhood (Anova), or Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV). The unitary lists also included individuals from social movements like

220-496: A landslide. While many criticize block voting's tendency to create landslide victories, some cite it as a strength. Since the winners of a block voting election generally represent the same slate or group of voters, there is greater agreement among those elected, potentially leading to a reduction in political gridlock . Block plurality voting, like single-winner plurality voting , is particularly vulnerable to tactical voting . Supporters of relatively unpopular third parties have

264-440: A large degree of autonomy in their local affairs: many of the functions of the comarcas and provinces are municipal powers pooled together. All citizens of Spain are required to register in the municipality they live in, and after doing so, they are juridically considered "neighbors" (residents) of the municipality, a designation that grants them various rights and privileges, and which entail certain obligations as well, including

308-598: A minor party which has only nominated one candidate. Thus, block voting may look like single non-transferable voting . This system sometimes fosters the creation of an electoral alliance between political parties or groups as opposed to a coalition . This has been the case in the National Assembly of Mauritius ; the New Hampshire House of Representatives , with the election of multiple Free State Project as well as New Hampshire Liberty Alliance members; and in

352-403: A number of features which can make it unrepresentative of the voters' intentions. Block voting regularly produces complete landslide majorities for the group of candidates with the highest level of support. Additionally, like first past the post methods, if there are many parties running and voters do not engage in tactical voting , a small cohesive group of voters, making up only a minority of

396-557: A party are highlighted in that party's colour. Municipalities of Spain Although provinces are groupings of municipalities , there is no implied hierarchy or primacy of one over the other. Instead the two entities are defined according to the authority or jurisdiction of each ( Spanish : competencias ). Some autonomous communities also group municipalities into entities known as comarcas (districts) or mancomunidades (commonwealths). The governing body in most municipalities

440-519: A population of three in 2022 ). Almost 40% of the Spanish population resides in just 62 municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. 84% (6,817) of municipalities have less than 5,000 inhabitants. Castile and León alone account for 28% of municipalities but they constitute less than 6% of the population of Spain. A European report said that one of the most important problems facing local governments in Spain

484-406: A result of their geographical location or the convenience of a better management of municipal interests or other circumstances, made it advisable to be organized through the open council system ( Spanish : régimen de concejo abierto ), in which voters would directly elect the local major. The mayor was indirectly elected by the plenary assembly. A legal clause required that mayoral candidates earn

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528-483: A series of checkboxes, preferential block voting uses a preferential ballot . A slate of clones of the top preferred candidate will win every seat under both systems, however in preferential block voting this is instead the instant-runoff winner. In Brazil, where Senatorial elections alternate between FPTP and block voting, each main candidate is registered along with two substitutes. Votes in either election are cast and counted based on these three-candidate slates; when

572-414: A single round of voting. The party-list version of block voting is party block voting (PBV), also called the general ticket , which also elects members by plurality in multi-member districts. In such a system, each party puts forward a slate of candidates, a voter casts just one vote, and the party winning a plurality of votes sees its whole slate elected, winning all the seats. Plurality block voting

616-528: A substantial incentive to avoid wasted votes by casting all of their votes for a slate of candidates from a major party. Parties in block voting systems can also benefit from strategic nomination . Coalitions are actively hurt when they have more candidates than there are seats to fill, as vote-splitting will occur. Similarly, a coalition has a substantial incentive to nominate a full slate of candidates, as otherwise supporting voters may cast some of their remaining votes for opposing candidates. Bullet voting

660-541: A total of 8,131 municipalities in Spain, including the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla . In the Principality of Asturias , municipalities are officially named concejos (councils). The average population of a municipality is about 5,300, but this figure masks a huge range: the most populous Spanish municipality is the city of Madrid , with a population of 3,305,408 (2022) , while several rural municipalities have fewer than ten inhabitants ( Illán de Vacas , had

704-811: A treaty. Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation , with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale: Councillors of municipalities with populations below 250 inhabitants were elected under an open list partial block voting , with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties: for up to four candidates in municipalities with populations between 100 and 250 inhabitants; and for up to two candidates in municipalities below 100. This did not apply to municipalities which, as

748-444: Is a strategy in which a voter only votes for a single candidate in an attempt to stop them being beaten by additional choices. Because the voter is essentially wasting a portion of their vote, bullet voting is only a good strategy when the voter has a strong preference for their favorite and is unsure of, and/or indifferent to, the other candidates' relative chances of winning, for example, if the voter supports an independent candidate or

792-433: Is a type of block voting method for multi-winner elections . Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of seats to be filled. The candidates with the most votes are elected. The usual result when the candidates divide into parties is that the most-popular party in the district sees its full slate of candidates elected, even if the party does not have support of majority of the voters. The term plurality at-large

836-401: Is called ayuntamiento ( municipal council or corporation ), a term often also used to refer to the municipal headquarters (city/town hall). The ayuntamiento is composed of the mayor (Spanish: alcalde ), the deputy mayors (Spanish: tenientes de alcalde ) and the deliberative assembly ( pleno ) of councillors ( concejales ). Another form of local government used in small municipalities

880-559: Is distinct from party block voting . In a block voting election, all candidates run against each other for m number of positions, where m is commonly called the district magnitude. Each voter selects up to m candidates on the ballot. Each of the voters have m votes, and are able to cast no more than one per candidate. They cannot vote for the same candidate more than once, as is permitted in cumulative voting . Voters are permitted to cast their votes across candidates of different parties ( ticket splitting ). The m candidates with

924-410: Is in common usage in elections for representative members of a body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body (for example, a city, state or province, nation, club or association). Where the system is used in a territory divided into multi-member electoral districts the system is commonly referred to as "block voting" or the "bloc vote". These systems are usually based on

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968-470: Is the concejo abierto (open council), in which the deliberative assembly is formed by all the electors in the municipality. The operation of the municipalities is broadly outlined by the 1985 Local Government Act. The Statutes of Autonomy of the various autonomous communities also contain provisions and many sectorial laws from national and autonomous community government determine the functions and powers of ayuntamientos. In general, municipalities enjoy

1012-1744: Is the country with the most extensive experience in plurality-at-large voting. Positions where there are multiple winners usually use plurality-at-large voting, the exception is the election for sectoral representatives in the House of Representatives . The members of the Senate and all local legislatures are elected via this method. The members of the Interim Batasang Pambansa (the parliament) were also elected under this method in 1978 . The following countries use block plurality voting (not including party block voting using plurality) in their national electoral systems: Two-round system (TRS) in single-member districts, two-round block voting (BV) in dual-member districts, and List PR (simple quota largest remainder; closed-list) in larger districts + twice 20 nationally List PR (one set of 20 reserved for women) Block plurality voting (BV) in single nationwide constituency for 16 seats; D'Hondt method (8 seats) First-past-the-post (FPTP/SMP) 14 seats + Block plurality voting 6 seats All cantons, except: First-past-the-post (FPTP/SMP) in local constituencies + Block plurality voting (BV) nationwide First-past-the-post (FPTP/SMP) in single-member districts, Block plurality voting (BV) in multi-member districts seats + Block plurality voting (BV) nationwide First-past-the-post (FPTP/SMP) in single-member districts + Block plurality voting (BV) nationwide First-past-the-post (FPTP/SMP) in single-member districts + Block plurality voting (BV) nationwide Other countries using block voting: In France ,

1056-419: Is the very high number of little towns with a low number of inhabitants. The area of the municipal territory (Spanish: término municipal ) usually ranges 2–40 km , but some municipalities span across a much larger area, up to the 1,750.33 km of Cáceres ', the largest municipality in the country. The average land area of a Spanish municipality is about 62.23 km (24.03 sq mi), while

1100-633: The Balearic and Canary Islands , deputations were replaced by island councils in each of the islands or group of islands. For Majorca , Menorca , Ibiza and Formentera this figure was referred to in Spanish as consejo insular ( Catalan : consell insular ), whereas for Gran Canaria , Tenerife , Fuerteventura , La Gomera , El Hierro , Lanzarote and La Palma its name was cabildo insular . Most deputations were indirectly elected by local councillors from municipalities in each judicial district . Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on

1144-582: The Vermont Senate , with the elections of Vermont Progressive Party members Tim Ashe and Anthony Pollina . Historically, similar situations arose within the multi-member constituencies in the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Block voting, or block plurality voting, is often compared with preferential block voting as both systems tend to produce landslide victories for similar candidates. Instead of

1188-560: The mayor , the government council and the elected plenary assembly. Elections to the local councils in Spain were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. Voting for the local assemblies was on the basis of universal suffrage , which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the corresponding municipality and in full enjoyment of their political rights, as well as resident non-national European citizens and those whose country of origin allowed Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of

1232-469: The "ward system" which is a municipal adaptation of single member plurality. The sole exception is London, Ontario which has recently changed to the Alternative Vote . When Toronto was amalgamated in 1997, the new entity's first election used a similar rule. From 1871 to 1988, British Columbia had some multi-member ridings using plurality-at-large, and others elected under single member plurality , with

1276-642: The Balearic Islands and the seven island cabildos in the Canary Islands . After Podemos ' success in the 2014 European Parliament election , the party decided not to directly contest the local elections scheduled for May 2015 to focus on the regional and general elections to be held throughout that year. Instead, they opted for the Guanyem Barcelona formula, popular unity municipal candidacies comprising different parties and social movements. The model

1320-439: The anti-eviction PAH , 15M , o the so-called mareas ( Spanish for "tides") made up of workers from different service sectors like teachers, Public Health System workers or young people forced to migrate as a consequence of the 2008–15 Spanish financial crisis . Municipalities in Spain were local corporations with independent legal personality . They had a governing body, the municipal council or corporation , composed of

1364-431: The average population is about 5,988 people. Municipalities were first created by decree on 23 May 1812 as part of the liberal reforms associated with the new Spanish Constitution of 1812 and based on similar actions in revolutionary France. The idea was to rationalise and homogenise territorial organisation, do away with the prior feudal system and provide equality before the law of all citizens. Between 1812 and 1931,

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1408-423: The election of municipal councilors takes place by majority vote plurinominal, in two rounds with panachage : In British Columbia , Canada, all local governments are elected using bloc voting for city councils and for other multi-member bodies (there called "at-large" voting). In other Canadian provinces, smaller cities are generally elected under plurality-at-large, while larger cities are generally elected under

1452-478: The following scale: Island councils and foral deputations were elected directly by electors under their own, specific electoral regulations. Councillor share for different parties in the elections. The following table lists party control in provincial capitals, as well as in municipalities with a population above or around 75,000. Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour. The following table lists party control in provincial deputations. Gains for

1496-458: The governing bodies of provinces in Spain , having an administration role of municipal activities and composed of a provincial president, an administrative body, and a plenary. Basque provinces had foral deputations instead—called Juntas Generales —, whereas deputations for single-province autonomous communities were abolished and their functions transferred to the corresponding regional parliaments in 1982–1983. For insular provinces, such as

1540-535: The legislation regarding municipal organisation was changed more than 20 times, and there were 20 addition and unsuccessful proposals for change. Plurality-at-large voting Condorcet methods Positional voting Cardinal voting Quota-remainder methods Approval-based committees Fractional social choice Semi-proportional representation By ballot type Pathological response Strategic voting Paradoxes of majority rule Positive results Plurality block voting

1584-414: The most votes (who may or may not obtain a majority of available votes or support from the majority of the voters) are declared elected and will fill the positions. Due to multiple voting, when a party runs more than one candidate, it is impossible to know if the party had support of as many voters as the party tally of votes (up to number of voters participating in the election) or if it had support of just

1628-478: The number of each varying from one election to the next. Other Canadian provincial legislatures have in the past used plurality-at-large or single transferable vote , but now all members of provincial legislatures are exclusively elected under single-member plurality. In Hong Kong , block voting is used for a tiny proportion of the territory's population to elect the members of the Election Committee , which

1672-433: The number of voters equivalent to the votes received by the most popular candidate and the other candidates of that party merely received votes from subset of that group. Candidates are running in a three-member district; each of the 10,000 voters may cast three votes (but do not have to). Voters may not cast more than one vote for a single candidate. Party A has about 35% support among the electorate, Party B around 25% and

1716-558: The remaining voters primarily support independent candidates. Candidates of Party A won in a landslide, even though they only received a plurality (35–37%) among the voters (10,000). This is because most parties run as many candidates as there are open seats and voters of a party usually do not split their ticket, but vote for all candidates of that party. By contrast, a single transferable vote system would likely elect 1 candidate from party A, 1 candidate from party B and 1 independent candidate in this scenario. The block voting system has

1760-441: The right to vote or be elected for public office in said municipality. The right to vote in municipal elections is extended to Spanish citizens living abroad. A Spaniard abroad, upon registering in a consulate , has the right to vote in the local elections of the last municipality they resided in. A Spanish citizen born abroad must choose between the last municipality his or her mother or father last lived in. As of 2022, there were

1804-465: The seat is filled up on the next scheduled election, such as in 1951, 1955 and 2001. There are alternative ways of selecting a replacement in such systems: one way is to fill any seat that becomes empty by appointing the most popular unsuccessful candidate in the last election, i.e. a countback . This was used in the City of Edmonton (Canada) following the 1905 Edmonton municipal election . The Philippines

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1848-435: The vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party in the assembly was to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, a toss-up would determine the appointee. The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry , coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form

1892-399: The voters, can elect all the open seats by merely constituting a plurality . Under block voting, a slate of clones of the top-place candidate may win every available seat. A voter does have the option to vote for candidates of different political parties if they wish, but if the largest group of voters have strong party loyalty, there is nothing the other voters or parties can do to prevent

1936-403: Was reproduced in many cities under the name Ganemos (Let's Win). United Left (IU), the traditional left-wing third party of Spain, also started debating whether to join these local coalitions. However, this option was not well received by some party sectors, particularly their Madrid branch, who feared that the party would lose its identity if it joined these coalitions. The first attempt at

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