Félix Bautista proposes eliminating the D’Hondt method in Dominican elections
The senator for the province of San Juan, Félix Bautista, has formally presented to the Senate of the Republic a bill aimed at transforming the system for electing deputies, councilors, and vocal members in the country. The legislative piece seeks to repeal the application of the D’Hondt method in electoral processes.
The initiative arises under the argument that the current system does not guarantee an equitable relationship between the number of votes obtained individually by the candidates and the final allocation of seats. According to the legislator, the current mechanism generates distortions in political representation.
Arguments against the current system
Bautista emphasizes that the D’Hondt method proves disproportionate by allowing the sum of votes for a political organization to prevail over the individual performance of the candidates. In his view, this causes candidates with a high personal vote count to be left out, while others access public office with less direct support from the citizenry.
The proposal seeks to strengthen the direct nature of the suffrage, ensuring that the will expressed by the voters at the polls is reflected more transparently and effectively in the composition of our institutions.
Félix Bautista, Senator for San Juan
What does the new project propose?
- Implement the simple majority principle for the election of legislative and municipal positions.
- Ensure that candidates who receive the highest number of valid votes in their respective districts are elected.
- Repeal Law 157-13, which regulates the preferential voting system and the D’Hondt method.
- Modify key provisions within the Organic Law of the Electoral Regime 20-23.
With this measure, the senator seeks to make the Dominican electoral system more direct and competitive, prioritizing the election of the candidate over party strategy, thus guaranteeing a stronger bond between the representative and the electorate.
