Split parties finish last
Preferences, pluralities and the 1957 Queensland election
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6234916 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Simon Jackman (0000-0001-7421-4034, Princeton University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1992 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 434-448 |
| Publication date | 1992-11-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Australian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1036-1146 • E-ISSN: 1363-030X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00323269208402207 |
| OpenAlex | W2085039292 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 7 |
The 1957 election is a watershed in Queensland politics. Coming after the Labor split, the election saw the end of over 40 years of almost uninterrupted Labor rule in Queensland. Often overlooked in discussions of this key period is that the 1957 election was conducted under plurality rule, or as it is more commonly known, ‘first‐past‐the‐post’. Had the 1957 election been held under preferential voting, preferences would have been distributed in 46 of the 71 contested seats. Through simulations of distributions of hypothetical second preferences I assess the effects of the Labor split on the fates of the respective parties. Contrary to some interpretations of the 1957 election I find that plurality rule saved Labor from even greater electoral losses than those they would have sustained under preferential voting. Single‐member constituency electoral systems deal harsh punishment to small parties, or, as in 1957, split parties: a point well known by astute political leaders. Preferential voting may have given Labor leaders even more powerful incentives to heal the split of 1957, and perhaps even avoid it in the first place
Economics · First-past-the-post voting · Incentive · Law and economics · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Split-ticket voting · Voting · Commonwealth, Australian Politics and Federalism · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law
| Citations per year | 0.04 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2002 - 2002 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |