What system of political representation allocates seats to parties within multi-member constituencies roughly in proportion to votes?

• A. First Past the Post
• B. Single Transferable Vote
• C. Proportional Representation
• D. Mixed Member Proportional

Answer: (C)

Proportional representation is the system that aims to mirror voting shares in the number of seats, especially when elections use multi-member districts. In this approach, each district elects several representatives, and the seats are allocated to parties roughly in proportion to how many votes they receive in that district. That means if a party gets about 30% of the votes, it gains about 30% of the seats in that district, allowing smaller parties to win representation and producing a legislature that more closely reflects overall support.

First Past the Post, by contrast, uses single-member districts and awards a seat to the individual with the most votes, which often skews results toward larger parties. Single Transferable Vote is a form of proportional representation that uses ranked ballots and transfers votes to maintain proportionality, while Mixed Member Proportional blends district seats with additional proportional seats to balance overall representation. But the description given—allocating seats within multi-member constituencies roughly in proportion to votes—best identifies proportional representation.