|
BY-ELECTIONS When a proportional representation councillor leaves the council, the party that has lost a seat regains it by having the next person on their proportional representation list join the council. Citizens need to watch this process very carefully, since as the years go by, the party they voted for is represented substantially by people not on the list published before the election and which most voters will have seen. But if a ward councillor "vacates" office - in other words, if he or she resigns, retires or leaves the council for some other reason - there has to be a by-election. The voters in that ward only will vote among the contestants who decide to stand. A by-election will not happen if a full election is about to happen. When a by-election does happen, it will be organised similarly to a full election - but on a much smaller scale. By-elections can be very important because they often have low turnouts and candidates can win by working hard to get their voters to the voting station even if they do not have majority support in the ward. Introduction | The first democratic municipal elections | The proportional representation and ward systems: working together | Voting in metropolitan areas | Voting outside of metropolitan areas | "Mixed" electoral system replaces the "parallel" system | Delimitation | The candidates | Uncontested elections | By-elections | Election of municipal office-bearers | Administration of municipal, provincial and national elections | What will happen in 2000-01? | Conclusion |
