| Abstract [eng] |
Lithuania has undergone substantial redistricting measures during 2016 and 2020 parliamentary elections. It is widely discussed whether redistricting is beneficial for various democracies as it impacts the representativeness of electorate in many negative aspects. The aim of this research is to reveal the depth of impact of redistricting on electoral behavior and political participation. The author argues that the newly formed boundaries of electoral constituencies negatively affect preferences and turnout of electorate. Redistricting also deteriorates the general trust and satisfaction with the state of democracy in general, The hypothesis put forward is that the newly formed territories which were connected to main constituency electoral area had positively correlated if it was within the same administrative boundaries, whereas the areas, which were not – the electorate had greatly suffered due to increased chances of political misrepresentation. The data for methodological purposes in this article has been taken from 2012, 2016 and 2020 first and second round of Seimas single-member electoral data. The data has been aggregated by GIS and by using Pearson’s correlation method, both used as a basis for this research. Additionally, open interviews with elders and analysis of stakeholder complaints and proposals to the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania were conducted. The study has above all, and most importantly unveils the disruptive nature of changing electoral boundaries amidst fast-changing demographic situation in Lithuania. The results suggest that current Lithuanian electoral system is not sustainable and in the long run thereof needs to be reformed to counterbalance the negative affects of the current electoral system. Meanwhile short and mid term solutions should focus to improve the current electoral system by giving more careful attention to redistricted areas, according to electorate preferences and administrative boundaries, especially in rural areas, small and mid-sized cities. |
