Electoral Reform and Local Party System Change

Political parties at the local level are key organisations linking localities with the state (Clark, 2004). Competition between local party organisations is mediated by local electoral systems which often differ from those used nationally. The argument between whether change in the electorate or electoral system change drives party system change is a long one, going back to Duverger (1964) and Lipset and Rokkan (1967). Does electoral reform drive party system change? Or does party system change lead to electoral reform as a key linkage between society and state? These questions are seldom examined through the lens of local party and electoral competition. This paper examines local politics in Scotland, where local electoral reform has had profound consequences both for how parties compete (Clark, 2012; Clark and Bennie, 2008) and how voters use the preferential ballot they now have in local elections (Denver et al, 2009; Clark, 2013). Through an examination of three rounds of single transferable vote local elections between 2007 and 2017, and a comparison with the last single member plurality elections in 2003, the paper proceeds in five sections. The first section outlines the importance of local parties and local electoral systems as linkage mechanisms between localities and state, and outlines general debates regarding electoral reform and party systems. The second section briefly outlines Scottish party competition, the electoral reforms implemented from 2007, and expectations of how voters and parties might behave. The third section examines party and candidate campaign strategies at the local level, before the fourth section discusses, at the aggregate level, how voters have used the new STV electoral system over time. The fifth section reflects on whether this has changed the party system and competition through an examination of the effective number of parties (ENP) in both the local electorate and in local governments.