In fulfilling its lawmaking and oversight functions parliament must be accountable to the citizens that elected it. Citizens must be provided with access to information about what is happening in parliament and the positions being taken by their MP and parliamentary group, and they must have venues for expressing their knowledge and opinions.
Depending on the electoral system used, it is possible that Members of Parliament are elected from geographic constituencies, or they may be selected through some form of proportional representation (often called party list). When an election is held using party list votes, citizens mark a ballot paper with their preferred candidates. If a candidate gets a majority of votes, they are elected. If no one reaches the required majority, the second preferences of voters for eliminated candidates are counted and transferred to other candidates. This process continues until a winner is found.
It is also possible for a Member of Parliament to be chosen by means other than a majority vote, such as a tie-breaking procedure. In parliamentary systems that use first past the post voting, or the Australian system, when a vote is tied it is resolved by drawing lots (a method of selection by chance such as tossing a coin or picking a name out of a hat).
It is normal for parliaments to broadcast plenary proceedings and committee hearings on television or radio. This is particularly popular in countries that have recently transitioned to democracy and it enables citizens who may never visit parliament to observe how it operates.
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