Split voting in Icelandic parliamentary elections 1900–1903

Abstract

Parliamentary elections in Iceland during the years 1900–1903 were conducted in single-member and dual-member constituencies, which were formed by the counties of the country — either as whole units or divided — with Reykjavík, as a separate constituency. Around the turn of the twentieth century, two political parties had emerged in Alþingi: the Home Rule Party and Valtýingar. Elections during this period were characterized by the rivalry between the parties, which were established based on opposing views regarding amendments to the 1874 constitution and Iceland’s status within the Danish kingdom. Parliamentary elections during the Governor’s period (1874–1903) have, to date, received little scholarly attention as such. Consequently, little is known about the causes of voter behaviour and the factors influencing it — whether constitutional issues or other significant national matters were decisive, or whether local interests and disputes or the personal popularity of individual candidates determined the outcome. This article examines split voting in parliamentary elections in the years 1900, 1902, and 1903 in six out of nine dual-member constituencies, with each constituency analysed separately. Split voting or split ticket is a concept that refers to where a voter, possessing two or more votes in an election, distributes the votes between candidates from two or more political parties