Lex localis - Journal of Local Self-Government_11(1)_January

L EX LOCALIS - J OURNAL OF L OCAL S ELF -G OVERNMENT Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 737 - 761, October 2017 Preferential Voting: Definition and Classification J URIJ T OPLAK 1 Abstract There is no single definition for ‘preferential voting’ or ‘preference voting’ since the terms are used for a number of different election systems and groups of such systems. They can be synonymous with the single-transferable vote, the alternative vote, open-list proportional representation, or the group of all ranking methods. This article offers an overview of the various definitions and classifications of preferential voting and other terms used in the literature to describe it. It proposes a common understanding of preferential voting. I suggest that preferentiality ought to be one of the characteristics by which electoral systems are evaluated. All election systems are preferential, though to varying degrees. I offer a classification of numerous electoral schemes according to their preferentiality. Keywords: • electoral systems • preferential voting • intraparty preference • ranking methods C ORRESPONDENCE A DDRESS : Jurij Toplak, Ph.D., Associate Professor, (1) University of Maribor, Faculty of Law, Mladinska ulica 9, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia, email: jurij.toplak@um.si ; (2) Alma Mater Europaea ECM, Slovenska ulica 17, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia, email: jurij.toplak@almamater.si. https://doi.org/10.4335/15.4.737-761( 2017) ISSN 1581-5374 Print/1855-363X Online © 2017 Lex localis Available online at http://journal.lex-localis.press .