Political geography in practice II. Israeli electoral reforms in action

The paper reviews public debates in Israel during the past four years to reform the electoral system, laying out the issues and the obstacles to putting reform into practice. It examines several proposals for electoral reform, in particular whether districting is a practical possibility within constraints laid down by a committee comprising senior members of the two largest political parties-Likud and Labour-and proposes a districting plan that meets these demands. It then presents a series of simulations in the hypothetical constituencies, relating to disciplined and undisciplined voting for party candidates, analysing some possible effects of districting on the results of Israeli elections. The paper outlines the relative benefits and drawbacks to the principal political actors, the parties.