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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Alistair Clark
This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Taylor and Francis , 2021.
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This article examines the relationship between local electoral reform and change in party campaigns, voting behaviour and local party system fragmentation. This is important because local politics is often a ‘missing link’ in understanding how electoral reform impacts upon political behaviour. This article approaches these questions through the significant case of Scotland where the local electoral system was reformed across the entire country in 2007 from single member plurality (SMP) to the single transferable vote (STV). This had potentially profound consequences for how parties compete, how voters used their new preferential ballot and the fragmentation of local party systems. The article extends knowledge about these reforms by examining data from three rounds of STV local elections between 2007-2017, before comparing them with local elections under SMP. The first section applies debates regarding electoral reform and party systems to local elections. The second and third sections outline the electoral reforms implemented from 2007, and expectations of how voters and parties might behave. The fourth part examines local party and candidate campaign strategies, before the fifth section discusses how voters have used the STV system. The sixth section reflects on whether this has increased party system fragmentation in both the local electorate and in local governments.
Author(s): Clark A
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Local Government Studies
Year: 2021
Volume: 47
Issue: 1
Pages: 79-99
Online publication date: 03/09/2020
Acceptance date: 03/08/2020
Date deposited: 18/08/2020
ISSN (print): 0300-3930
ISSN (electronic): 1743-9388
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2020.1816544
DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2020.1816544
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