In a forthcoming article in the journal
Representation, Michael Lynch and I demonstrate how candidates with local connections garner more preference votes than rivals without these connections in the proportional representation component of Lithuania's mixed-member system. Candidates who run for office on the list and in a constituency tend to perform better in regions where they are seeking a district seat, consistent with the literature on contamination effects in mixed-member systems. But, candidates who only run on the party list also tend to receive more votes when they have local connections, even if they are placed in hopeless positions. The findings provide additional evidence of contamination effects and also illustrate the potential advantages of list nomination strategies that ensure representation in all regions of a country.
In a forthcoming article in the journal Representation, Michael Lynch and I demonstrate how candidates with local connections garner more preference votes than rivals without these connections in the proportional representation component of Lithuania's mixed-member system. Candidates who run for office on the list and in a constituency tend to perform better in regions where they are seeking a district seat, consistent with the literature on contamination effects in mixed-member systems. But, candidates who only run on the party list also tend to receive more votes when they have local connections, even if they are placed in hopeless positions. The findings provide additional evidence of contamination effects and also illustrate the potential advantages of list nomination strategies that ensure representation in all regions of a country.