The '''D'Hondt method''',{{efn|English: {{IPAc-en|lang|d|ə|ˈ|h|ɒ|n|t}} {{respell|də|HONT}}, {{IPA|nl|tɔnt|lang|small=no}}, {{IPA|fr|dɔ̃t|lang|small=no}}. The name ''D'Hondt'' is sometimes spelt as "''d'Hondt"''. Notably, it is customary in the [[Netherlands]] to write such surnames with a lower-case "''d"'' when preceded by the forename: thus ''Victor d'Hondt'' (with a small ''d''), while the surname all by itself would be ''D'Hondt'' (with a capital ''D''). However, in [[Belgium]] it is always capitalized, hence: ''Victor D'Hondt''.}} also called the '''Jefferson method''' or the '''greatest divisors method''', is an [[Apportionment (politics)|apportionment method]] for allocating seats in parliaments among [[federal states]], or in [[proportional representation]] among political parties. It belongs to the class of [[highest averages method|highest-averages methods]]. Compared to ideal proportional representation, the D'Hondt method reduces somewhat the political fragmentation for smaller [[electoral district]] sizes,<ref name=":0"/> where it favors larger political parties over small parties.<ref name="Seat biases"/>
The method was first described in 1792 by American [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] and later [[President of the United States]] [[Thomas Jefferson]]. It was re-invented independently in 1878 by Belgian mathematician [[Victor D'Hondt]], which is the reason for its two different names.
