far fewer than 50% of the voters could win a majority in the governing body. But it requires additional research to conclude that such an outcome is realistic: whether the malapportionment is systematic and designed to bias the body, or is the result of random factors that give extra power to voters whose interests are unlikely to coincide. Even when electoral districts have similar populations, legislators may draw the boundaries to pursue private agendas; see Gerrymandering. Another form of malapportionment is called reactive malapportionment, which can come about in three ways. The first is the impact of abstentions, in which a lower turnout in a constituency means fewer votes are needed to win there. This can be seen in the UK through the Labour Party's strength in inner city areas where turnout is lowest. The second is the impact of minor parties, which works in a similar way; more votes going to smaller parties means fewer votes are needed for the two larger parties. This form of malapportionment benefits the largest party in an area where minor parties excel. Finally, the instance of a minor party winning a constituency denies victory to one of the two main parties. Examples of malapportionment 1955 System - In Japan, malapportionment has favoured the Liberal Democratic Party, who have ruled for over 60 years (with 2 brief periods in opposition, totaling 5 years). This has been the subject of multiple Japanese Supreme Court cases. Bjelkemander - a system of malapportionment Queensland, Australia during the 1970s and 1980s, designed to benefit the rural-based Country Party who were able to govern uninhibited during this period. Population of Canadian federal ridings - in the Canadian House of Commons, in 2021, the least populous riding had 26,000 people while the most populous had 209,000 people. Several provinces are significantly overrepresented relative to their population. The Constitution of Australia guarantees each of the 6 founding states an equal number of Senators, regardless of population. But this would not necessarily apply to other states, were they admitted. The United States Constitution guarantees each state 2 Senators regardless of population. See also Apportionment in the European Parliament Apportionment in the Hellenic Parliament United States congressional apportionment Notes References External links Index of articles relating to Boundary Delimitation from the ACE Project A guide to the various formulae for apportionment, and statistical differences between them