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Thresholds of the Divisor Methods

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Abstract

We give an algorithm which permits calculating the maximum and minimum vote shares that allow a party to obtain h seats, that is, the threshold of exclusion and the threshold of representation. These have already been studied for some methods (such as d'Hondt or Sainte-Laguë), and are here generalized to any divisor method, and to any number of seats. The thresholds depend on the size of the constituency, the number of parties running in the constituency, and the divisor method used. Finally, we give some consequences, including a characterization of the d'Hondt method.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dpto. Matemática Aplicada, Escuela de Arquitectura Técnica, Severo Ochoa s/n, Campus Universitario Fuentenueva, 18001, Granada, Spain

    A. Palomares & V. Ramírez

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  1. A. Palomares
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  2. V. Ramírez
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Palomares, A., Ramírez, V. Thresholds of the Divisor Methods. Numerical Algorithms 34, 405–415 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:NUMA.0000005353.82970.ce

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:NUMA.0000005353.82970.ce

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