The Principles of Parliamentary Representation/Chapter I
Chapter I.
Desiderata.
The chief desiderata seem to be as follows:—
(1)That each Elector should have the same chance of being represented in the House. (Under any system, some Electors must be left unrepresented.)
(2)That each Elector, who is represented at all, should be represented by the same fraction of a Member. Or (which is the same thing) that each Member should represent the same number of Electors. Or (which is the same thing) that the number of Electors, needed to secure the return of a Member, should be uniform throughout the Kingdom.
(3)That the number of unrepresented Electors should be as small as possible.
(4)That the proportions of political parties in the House should be, as nearly as possible, the same as in the whole body of Electors.
(5)That the process of voting should be as simple as possible.
(6)That the process of counting the votes, and announcing the result, should be as simple as possible.
(7)That the waste of votes, caused by more votes being given for a Candidate than are needed for his return, should be as far as possible prevented.
(8)That the result of a local Election should depend as much as possible on the wishes of the Electors in that District, and as little as possible on chance.
(9)That the Electors in a District should be, as far as possible, uninfluenced by the results of Elections in other Districts.