Europe’s voting space and the problem of second-order elections: A transnational proposal
| Author | Jonathan Bright,Alexander Trechsel,Joseph Lacey,Diego Garzia |
| Published date | 01 March 2016 |
| Date | 01 March 2016 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1465116515588965 |
| Subject Matter | Forum |
European Union Politics
2016, Vol. 17(1) 184–198
!The Author(s) 2015
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DOI: 10.1177/1465116515588965
eup.sagepub.com
Forum
Europe’s voting space
and the problem of
second-order elections:
A transnational proposal
Jonathan Bright
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK
Diego Garzia
European University Institute, Italy
Joseph Lacey
European University Institute, Italy
Alexander Trechsel
European University Institute, Italy
Abstract
This article offers an empirically driven critical consideration of the idea of transnatio-
nalising Europe’svoting space, which would mean allowing European citizens to vote for a
party from any member state at the European Parliament elections. Weargue that such a
move would reduce the second-order problem in European elections, as it would force
political parties to move away from campaigning solely on national issues. We also claim
that it would improve the extent to which Europeans are represented in their parliament
and would be particularly welcomed by citizens currently dissatisfied with the state of
their national democracy. We offer evidence to back up these claims, based on data on
the political preferences of almost half a million Europeans and 274 European parties.
Keywords
European Parliament, elections, second-order problem, voting advice applications,
democratic deficit
Corresponding author:
Jonathan Bright, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 1 St. Giles, Oxford OX1 3JS, UK.
Email: jonathan.bright@oii.ox.ac.uk
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