A system of voting designed to allocate seats in a multi-member electorate in proportion to the number of votes cast for each candidate or party.

A system of voting where more than one candidate is to be elected in one electorate. Each elected candidate represents the same proportion of voters as each other elected candidate. (See Hare-Clark)

an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them in the election. Contrast this to the constituency-based system, where the representative of the party that wins the majority of votes cast in a specified area is elected to the legislature.

an electoral system that awards seats in a legislature on the basis of percentages of the vote won, not on the "first past the post," winner-takes-all system that operates in the U.S. In other words, if a party polls a certain percentage of the vote, they are guaranteed the same percentage of seats in the legislature. Advocates of proportional representation, which operates in some European countries, say it is a fairer system than winner-takes-all, because in the latter system a party can win a considerable number of votes and get only a paltry number of seats for their efforts. Opponents of proportional representation say it makes for weak, minority government. So many parties are represented that no single party has an overall majority, so governments tend to be made up of coalitions of many parties, which undermines their capacity for decisive, unified action and firm leadership.

Systems of voting which aim to give parties the representation in a parliament justified by their level of voting support.

System under which a political entity such as a state recieves representation in the legislature in proportion with its population.

See Full Representation

Proportional representation attempts to ensure that political parties are represented according to their share of the overall vote. In the Senate, where the people of the states and territories vote to elect several candidates to represent them, this is achieved by means of a quota system. A quota is a percentage of votes that a candidate needs to be elected. It is calculated using a formula that divides the total number of formal votes by one more than the number of candidates to be elected, then adds one to the result. At the moment, the quota required for a senator to be elected in a state is 14.29% at a half-Senate election and 7.69% at a double dissolution election. Once a particular candidate reaches the required quota, they are elected. Any additional votes for that candidate are then distributed to the other candidates in order of the electors' preferences. If some positions in a state are still unfilled at the end of this process, then the second preferences of the less popular candidates are distributed until all the vacancies are filled.

System of representative government in which the political makeup of the legislative branch is based on the number of votes each party receives.

This is a way of counting the votes in an election. Under proportional representation, the number of MPs each Party ends up with in the Parliament is closely linked to the percentage of votes they got in the election.

A system of voting designed to elect representatives in proportion to the amount of support each has in the electorate. Variations of this system are used in the Commonwealth Senate, in most other states, and in many other countries. Multi-vacancy Municipal electorates began using this system in 2004. From the 2006 State election, this system will also be used in elections for Victoria's Legislative Council (Upper House).

level: Comprehensive (3) [ order by level] A system of election that provides for representation in a legislative body based on the percentage of votes a party receives in an election; the opposite of a winner-take-all system based on a single person winning each separate district (a form of representation that usually favors a two party system and shuts out third or minor parties from being represented at all).

A system of vote counting designed to elect representatives in proportion to the amount of support each has in the electorate. This system of vote counting is used in NSW Legislative Council elections.

A group of voting systems whose major goal is to ensure that parties and political groups are allocated seats in legislative bodies in proportion to their share of the vote. So a party receiving 30% of the national vote should receive 30% of the seats in the national legislature.

Representation of all parties or citizens in a legislature in proportion to their numbers or their portion of popular vote.

an electoral system in which the percentage of seats won by the candidates of political parties in a legislative body, such as the House of Commons, is more or less proportional to the percentage of the total vote these candidates or their parties have received in an election. There are numerous forms of proportional representation, including the "single transferable vote" system that is used to elect the Australian Senate, as well as "mixed: proportional-plurality" systems that produce a highly proportional outcome, such as the mixed system used to elect the New Zealand House of Representatives (the only chamber in the New Zealand Parliament).

system of electing members of the legislature, in which the number of seats given to a particular party is determined by the percentage of the popular vote which goes to that party. This system is used in many countries, including most European nations.

A system of vote counting designed to elect representatives who obtain a specified quota or proportion of votes. This system is used in Legislative Council, Senate and some Local Government elections. Further explanation of Proportional Representation is available in the animated presentation "How Your Vote Counts".

A system of government where the number of seats in parliament held by one party are proportional to the number of votes that party received in the election. Different from a constituency based system where the winner in each area gets a seat in parliament.

Proportional representation – a manner of electing public representatives which allocates seats to candidates and parties to reflect the amount of support they received overall.

Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation, or PR), is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies). It is often contrasted to plurality voting systems, where disproportional seat distribution results from the division of voters into multiple electoral districts, especially "winner takes all" plurality (FPTP) districts.