5.2 Mechanical and psychological effects of voting systems (2)

• The psychological effect is, according to M. Duverger, the anticipation by voters and political actors of the mechanical effect.

• Actors predict the distortion entailed by the transformation of votes into seats; they adapt their behaviour so as to make votes count (Cox 1997). This is:

• strategic voting on the side of voters, and
• strategic entry on the side of parties and candidates.