<s>
The	O
Webster	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
,	O
also	O
called	O
the	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
(	O
)	O
or	O
the	O
major	O
fractions	O
method	O
,	O
is	O
an	O
apportionment	O
method	O
for	O
allocating	O
seats	O
in	O
a	O
parliament	O
among	O
federal	O
states	O
,	O
or	O
among	O
parties	O
in	O
a	O
party-list	O
proportional	O
representation	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
then	O
replaced	O
by	O
Hamilton	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
and	O
in	O
1911	O
the	O
Webster	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
was	O
reintroduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
method	O
was	O
again	O
replaced	O
in	O
1940	O
,	O
this	O
time	O
by	O
the	O
Huntington	B-Algorithm
–	I-Algorithm
Hill	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
method	O
was	O
independently	O
invented	O
in	O
1910	O
by	O
the	O
French	O
mathematician	O
André	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Webster/Sainte	B-Architecture
-Laguë	I-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
does	O
not	O
ensure	O
that	O
a	O
party	O
receiving	O
more	O
than	O
half	O
the	O
votes	O
will	O
win	O
at	O
least	O
half	O
the	O
seats	O
;	O
nor	O
does	O
its	O
modified	O
form	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
d'Hondt	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
differs	O
by	O
the	O
formula	O
to	O
calculate	O
the	O
quotients	O
;	O
using	O
this	O
formula	O
,	O
A	O
would	O
be	O
allocated	O
four	O
seats	O
and	O
D	O
none	O
,	O
reflecting	O
the	O
method	O
's	O
favoring	O
of	O
larger	O
parties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Jefferson/D	B-Algorithm
'	I-Algorithm
Hondt	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
,	O
but	O
uses	O
different	O
divisors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Jefferson/D	B-Algorithm
'	I-Algorithm
Hondt	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
favors	O
larger	O
parties	O
while	O
the	O
Webster/Sainte	B-Architecture
-Laguë	I-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
does	O
n't	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Webster/Sainte	B-Architecture
-Laguë	I-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
is	O
generally	O
seen	O
as	O
more	O
proportional	O
,	O
but	O
risks	O
an	O
outcome	O
where	O
a	O
party	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
half	O
the	O
votes	O
can	O
win	O
fewer	O
than	O
half	O
the	O
seats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
there	O
are	O
two	O
parties	O
,	O
the	O
Webster	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
is	O
the	O
unique	O
divisor	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
which	O
is	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
Hamilton	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
then	O
replaced	O
by	O
Hamilton	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
and	O
in	O
1911	O
the	O
Webster	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
was	O
reintroduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
some	O
observers	O
the	O
method	O
should	O
be	O
treated	O
as	O
two	O
methods	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
result	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
Webster	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
is	O
used	O
for	O
allocating	O
seats	O
based	O
on	O
states	O
 '	O
population	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
based	O
on	O
parties	O
 '	O
votes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webster	B-Architecture
's	I-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
is	O
defined	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
a	O
quota	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
largest	B-Algorithm
remainder	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
;	O
in	O
this	O
method	O
,	O
the	O
quota	O
is	O
called	O
a	O
"	O
divisor	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
means	O
that	O
this	O
successive	O
adjustment	O
method	O
for	O
implementing	O
Webster	B-Architecture
's	I-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
allocates	O
seats	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
order	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
regions	O
as	O
the	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
would	O
allocate	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
German	O
media	O
started	O
using	O
the	O
term	O
Schepers	B-Architecture
Method	I-Architecture
and	O
later	O
German	O
literature	O
usually	O
calls	O
it	O
Sainte-Laguë/Schepers	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
ways	O
indicate	O
that	O
Webster	B-Architecture
's	I-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
is	O
the	O
least	O
biased	O
:	O
for	O
various	O
formal	O
definitions	O
of	O
bias	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
only	O
unbiased	O
divisor	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
;	O
this	O
is	O
also	O
supported	O
by	O
empirical	O
evaluation	O
on	O
historical	O
US	O
census	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
gives	O
slightly	O
greater	O
preference	O
to	O
the	O
larger	O
parties	O
over	O
parties	O
that	O
would	O
earn	O
,	O
by	O
a	O
small	O
margin	O
,	O
a	O
single	O
seat	O
if	O
the	O
unmodified	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
'	O
s	O
method	O
were	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
countries	O
using	O
the	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
with	O
a	O
threshold	O
are	O
Germany	O
and	O
New	O
Zealand	O
(	O
5%	O
)	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
threshold	O
does	O
not	O
apply	O
if	O
a	O
party	O
wins	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
electorate	O
seat	O
in	O
New	O
Zealand	O
or	O
three	O
electorate	O
seats	O
in	O
Germany	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sweden	O
uses	O
a	O
modified	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
with	O
a	O
4%	O
threshold	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
12%	O
threshold	O
in	O
individual	O
constituencies	O
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Webster/Sainte	B-Architecture
-Laguë	I-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
is	O
currently	O
used	O
in	O
Bosnia	O
and	O
Herzegovina	O
,	O
Indonesia	O
,	O
Kosovo	O
,	O
Latvia	O
,	O
Nepal	O
,	O
New	O
Zealand	O
,	O
Norway	O
and	O
Sweden	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Denmark	O
it	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
40	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
179	O
seats	O
in	O
the	O
Folketing	O
,	O
supplementing	O
the	O
D'Hondt	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Webster/Sainte	B-Architecture
-Laguë	I-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
was	O
used	O
in	O
Bolivia	O
in	O
1993	O
,	O
in	O
Poland	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Palestinian	O
Legislative	O
Council	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
variant	O
of	O
this	O
method	O
,	O
the	O
modified	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
,	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
allocate	O
the	O
proportional	O
representation	O
(	O
PR	O
)	O
seats	O
in	O
Nepal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
European	O
Parliament	O
(	O
Representation	O
)	O
Act	O
2003	O
stipulates	O
each	O
region	O
must	O
be	O
allocated	O
at	O
least	O
3	O
seats	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
ratio	O
of	O
electors	O
to	O
seats	O
is	O
as	O
nearly	O
as	O
possible	O
the	O
same	O
for	O
each	O
,	O
the	O
Commission	O
found	O
the	O
Sainte-Laguë	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
produced	O
the	O
smallest	O
standard	B-General_Concept
deviation	I-General_Concept
when	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
D'Hondt	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
and	O
Hare	O
quota	O
.	O
</s>
