ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses local elections and voting in Iceland. The local Icelandic government system shares many traits with its Nordic sister states, such as extensive decentralization and a high level of political and fiscal autonomy at the local level. Gender balance is especially favorable, as women comprise 47% of council members; however, in general, candidate lists still tend to be male dominated, and women are still less likely to be mayors than their male counterparts. Although multiparty systems and proportional voting are the norm at the local level, there is an interesting exception to that rule, as many smaller municipalities use a bloc voting system in which individual candidates are voted by majority in multimember districts. In this system, all qualified citizens are eligible for the council seats, and voters simply write down the names of their preferred council members.
