View source for Francisville voting system referendum, 2009

{{Infobox referendum
| name = Francisville voting system referendum
| title = Which voting system should be adopted for the [[Chamber of Deputies (Francisville)|Chamber of Deputies]]?
| yes = 4
| no = 2
| total = 6
| electorate = 10
| map =
| mapdivision =
| notes = Source: [[Historic Francisville]]
}}

A '''referendum on the electoral system''' was held in the [[Democratic Duchy of Francisville]] on 11 April [[2009]]. Voters were asked to decide between adopting the [[w:Single transferable vote|single transferable vote]] or [[w:Mixed-member proportional representation|mixed-member proportional representation]] as the electoral system for the [[Chamber of Deputies (Francisville)|Chamber of Deputies]]. The single transferable vote was chosen with a two-third majority.

==Background==

The third constitution of the [[Democratic Duchy of Francisville]] was enacted on 5 March 2009.<ref>[https://sites.google.com/site/francisvillearchives/constitution-of-francisville/constitution-march-2009-text National Archives of Francisville: Constitution (March 2009)] Retrieved 27/11/2016</ref> In April 2009, a proposed general election was cancelled. A consensus was reached that reforms were necessary to improve the functioning of government. A constitutional assembly, known as the "April Convention", was subsequently organised by Grand Duke [[James Stewart|James I]]. The assembly recommended that the existing National Assembly should be replaced with the reformed [[Chamber of Deputies (Francisville)|Chamber of Deputies]], elected by either the [[w:Single transferable vote|single transferable vote]] or [[w:Mixed-member proportional representation|mixed-member proportional representation]]. A referendum was called to decide between these two alternative electoral systems.

==Options==

Following the recommendations of the April Convention, the referendum asked voters to chooses between two proposed electoral systems for the election of [[Chamber of Deputies (Francisville)|deputies]]:
*[[w:Single transferable vote|Single transferable vote]]: Deputies would be elected from a single national list proportionate to the national population, with the option to introduce [[w:Electoral district|districting]] if required. Voters would rank candidates according to preference on a single ballot.
*[[w:Mixed-member proportional representation|Mixed-member proportional representation]]: Deputies would be election from a combination of single-member constituencies, one corresponding to each [[Democratic_Duchy_of_Francisville#Administrative_divisions|canton]], and a national party list, variable according to the national population. Voters would have two non-transferable votes; one for their constituency deputy, and one for a political party on the national list.

==Results==

The single transferable vote was chosen with a majority of 66.67%. It was established as the electoral system for the Chamber of Deputies by the fourth constitution, enacted on 15 May 2009.<ref>[https://sites.google.com/site/francisvillearchives/legislative-election-may-2009 National Archives of Francisville: Legislative Election (May 2009)] Retrieved 27/11/2016</ref> According to the constitution, the number of deputies varied according to the size of the population based on the most recent census. The Chamber was composed of one deputy for every five citizens plus one additional deputy. The constitution did not rule out the use of [[w:Electoral district|districting]] but this was never necessary in practice due to the small size of the Chamber. The [[2009_Francisville_general_election|first election]] to the Chamber was held from 28 May to 3 June 2009.

{| border=1 cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 class="toccolours" width="500px" style="align: left; margin: 0.5em 0 0 0; border-style: solid; border: 1px solid #7f7f7f; border-right-width: 2px; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
|-
! ! class="unsortable" width="400px" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Choice
! ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Votes
! ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Percentage
|-
||[[File:Yes_check.png|14px]] '''Single transferable vote'''
|style="text-align: right;"|'''4'''
|style="text-align: right;"|'''66.67%'''
|-
||[[File:X_mark.png|14px]] Mixed-member proportional representation
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|33.33%
|-
|style="text-align: right; background-color:#E9E9E9"|'''Total votes'''
|style="text-align: right; background-color:#E9E9E9"|'''6'''
|style="text-align: right; background-color:#E9E9E9"|'''100%'''
|-
|style="text-align: right; background-color:#E9E9E9"|Voter turnout
|colspan="2" style="text-align: right; background-color:#E9E9E9"|60%
|-
|style="text-align: right; background-color:#E9E9E9"|Electorate
|colspan="2" style="text-align: right; background-color:#E9E9E9"|10
|}

==See also==

[[Chamber of Deputies (Francisville)]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{FrancisvilleTopics}}

[[Category:Democratic Duchy of Francisville]] [[Category:Referendums in Francisville]]