Preference Voting and Turnover in Italian Parliamentary Elections

In an election of the Chamber of Deputies, Italians vote for a party list, but may additionally select up to three or four particular candidates within it. While the party votes determine the allocation of seats among parties, the individual preference votes determine which candidates will be elected. Only about 35 percent of the possible preference votes are cast, but they play an important role in parliamentary renewal. It is shown that the ability of the parties to determine which candidate will be elected by structuring their lists is substantially less than often suggested.