This article presents a proposal for an incremental reform of the electoral system of the Chamber of Deputies. The incremental nature of the proposal rests on the assumption that this political system is a complex and delicate architecture, and therefore, abrupt and ambitious changes are more likely to make it worse than to improve it. The proposal advocated here maintains the current system of open-list proportional representation, but it changes two key variables of this electoral system, since it reduces its average district magnitude and establishes a proportional distribution of seats among parties that form electoral coalitions. The way the reform is operationalized leads to a redesign of the electoral map of the country, with smaller districts within 12 states. The article also presents the results of a simulation exercise based on data from the 2006 elections, whereby the party makeup of the Chamber of Deputies is recalculated according to the rules proposed here.
Chamber of Deputies; open-list proportional representation; legislative fragmentation; electoral reform; incrementalism
