Families of Electoral Systems One of the most common methods of classifying electoral systems is based on their proportionality, that is, how closely the number of seats in the legislature won by a party mirrors that party's share of the popular vote. [...] Drawing on the results of its consultation process, and the experiences of other Canadian jurisdictions, as well as the experiences of other countries, the Report concludes that it is crucial that citizens be included in an ongoing dialogue about electoral reform, and that the process of reform include a citizens' engagement strategy. [...] The party that forms the government is generally the party that is able to see the largest number of its candidates elected in the 301 ridings, regardless of its overall share of the popular vote in the country. [...] Canada, like many of the developed nations of the West, has for the past decade or so been in the grip of a democratic malaise. [...] In cases where a party holds a majority of the seats in the legislature after receiving a minority of the popular vote, opposition parties that received a significant proportion of the vote are relatively powerless in participating in or challenging the governing party's policy agenda.