D21 – Janeček method

[7][clarification needed] The method was notably used in the project Prezident 21, an initiative focused on helping voters understand the 2018 Czech presidential election.

[8] The basic prerequisite of the D21 method is that the voter always has more votes available than the number of existing winning opportunities.

The total number of votes is decided based on a mathematical algorithm which takes both of these factors into account.

It is not recommended to use minus votes in political elections in societies with major internal divisions among ethnic, religious or linguistic lines.

[10] The fact that voters are allowed to vote for candidates of different political affiliations is expected to lead to a broader consensus by the author.

A proposal to implement the method in two-seat voting districts was submitted to the Czech government but was rejected.

[12] The insights gained from research projects conducted by Institute H21 led to further refinements in the D21 voting method.

[16] The D21 method has been used in various Czech and Slovak municipalities to allocate public funds in participatory budgeting elections.

It was first used in Říčany in March 2015, with the aim of testing and developing the new platform for municipal decisions.

The objective of choosing this method was to motivate people to take interest in what was happening in their municipality.

[19] One of Janeček's main objectives with this method is to diminish extremist electoral strength.

They claim that the existence and competitiveness of extremist parties is essential for a well functioning democracy for several reasons.