Understanding the Election Calculator
This election calculator simulates the complete process of parliamentary elections, from vote counting to government formation. Here's how each step works:
Enter party names and their vote counts (manually or scan from image)
Parties must reach the electoral threshold (default 5%) to enter parliament
Parliament seats are distributed using Sainte-LaguΓ« or D'Hondt method
Select parties to form a governing coalition (majority = 50% + 1 seats)
Minister positions distributed among coalition parties
The electoral threshold is the minimum percentage of votes a party must receive to be eligible for seats in parliament. This prevents extreme fragmentation.
Total votes: 1,000,000
Party A: 60,000 votes = 6% β
Qualifies
Party B: 40,000 votes = 4% β Below threshold
Wasted Votes: Votes cast for parties below the threshold don't contribute to seat allocation. High wasted votes indicate many voters' preferences aren't represented.
Two proportional representation methods are available:
Divisors: 1.4, 3, 5, 7, 9...
More proportional representation. The first divisor (1.4) slightly favors larger parties while remaining fair to smaller ones.
Used in: Sweden, Norway, Germany (some states)
Divisors: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...
Favors larger parties more strongly. Makes majority coalitions easier to form. Better for governmental stability.
Used in: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Czech Republic
Seats are allocated one at a time. For each seat:
Votes / DivisorParty A: 100,000 votes | Party B: 80,000 votes | Party C: 30,000 votes
| Round | A Quotient | B Quotient | C Quotient | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100,000/1 = 100,000 | 80,000 | 30,000 | A (1 seat) |
| 2 | 100,000/2 = 50,000 | 80,000 | 30,000 | B (1 seat) |
| 3 | 50,000 | 40,000 | 30,000 | A (2 seats) |
| ... | Continue until 10 seats allocated | |||
The Gallagher Index (Least Squares Index) measures how proportionally seats are distributed compared to votes. Lower values indicate better proportionality.
| Index Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0 - 5 | β Highly proportional |
| 5 - 10 | β οΈ Moderately proportional |
| 10+ | β Significant disproportionality |
Each party is assigned a political position on a 5-point spectrum:
| Position | Index | Badge |
|---|---|---|
| Hard Left Wing | 0 | Hard Left Wing |
| Left Wing | 1 | Left Wing |
| Middle | 2 | Middle |
| Right Wing | 3 | Right Wing |
| Hard Right Wing | 4 | Hard Right Wing |
Parties can form coalitions, but political distance matters:
If coalition includes parties more than 1 position apart from the Prime Minister's party, a warning is displayed. For example, a Hard Left Wing PM cannot easily govern with Right Wing parties (distance = 3).
After seat allocation, parties must form a government. Key concepts:
The Laakso-Taagepera index measures party system fragmentation:
| Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| β€ 3 | β Few effective parties, stable system |
| 3 - 5 | β οΈ Moderate fragmentation |
| 5+ | β High fragmentation, complex coalitions needed |
The government consists of 14 positions: 1 Prime Minister + 13 Ministers.
Finance, Foreign Affairs, Interior, Defense, Justice, Health, Education, Economy, Labor, Environment, Transport, Agriculture, Culture
15 parliamentary committees with chairmanships distributed among all parties (not just coalition) using D'Hondt method based on seat shares.
Note: Committee chairs are distributed to all parliamentary parties, giving opposition parties oversight roles.