3. Electoral Systems Flashcards by Megan Oliver

What are the roles and functions of an election in society?

Will of the majority made clear 
Confer legitimacy
Form governments
Provide a choice of political programme
Participation
Representation
Holding government to account

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What is a mandate?

An electoral mandate refers to the authority extended to the winning party or candidate in following success in an election. Grants permission to act or produce legislation in accordance with the promise or manifesto offered.

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What is a manifesto?

A manifesto is the political beliefs and values the party holds and is going to implement if they get elected

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Do elections promote democracy?

Yes

Educate the public 
Encourage participation 
Offer the electorate a choice 
MPs and Government are held to account by the people in ensuring they act in the national interest
Ensure a peaceful change of power 
Ultimate expression of the popular will

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Do elections promote democracy?

Fail to educate the wider electorate and rather mislead
Take decision making away from the people as a form of representative democracy
Elections do not indicate which section of a manifesto the electorate agree with
So few differences between main political parties and so choice is limited

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Where is First Past The Post (FPTP) used?

Westminster General Elections

Local Government in England and Wales

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How does FPTP work?

Single member constituencies
Each voter has one vote and casts it for who they want to be their MP in their constituency.
Each MP represents a political party = a seat in Government
The party that receives the plurality (majority) is able to form a government

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What is the number of seats needed to win a general election?

326

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What are marginal seats?

A constituency held with a very small lead.

Marginal seats are seats in which a small amount of votes is required to change the party affiliation

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Examples of marginal seats

2017 SNP won North East Fife by 2 votes

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What is a safe seat?

A safe seat is a seat in which there is an overwhelming majority for a party MP in which there is very little chance of changing party affiliations

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Example of a safe seat

Gateshead - Labour

Blythe - Labour then Conservative

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Advantages of FPTP

Simple
Quick and easy to use
MPs have a close relationship with constituents
Prevents extremist parties from rising
Creates stability and usually forms a strong and stable Government to enact on the national interest

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Disadvantages of FPTP

Marginal Seats
Safe Seats
Produces a two-party system with a lack of accurate representation
Inaccurate in results and unrepresentative
Wasted voting
Discriminates against small parties

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Where is Single Transferable Vote (STV) used?

Northern Ireland Assembly

Scottish Local Council elections

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How does STV work?

Multi-member constituencies
Voters number their preferences
In order to be elected a candidate must get more votes than the quota in the Droop Formula
If no one receives the quota, the surplus votes are redistributed eliminating candidates until all seats are filled

Advantages of STV

Offers voters more than one representative who they may align with better
Greater choice of candidates
Fewer votes are wasted
No need for tactical voting
No safe seats meaning votes are all of equal value and candidates must be good and complacent
Coalition Government very likely

Disadvantages of STV

Takes a long time to produce a result due to process
Can lead to ‘donkey voting’
Lines of accountability are blurred
Ballot papers may be spoiled due to it being a complex process

Example of STV in action

Northern Ireland Assembly 2017
18 multi-member constituencies with each one getting 5 representatives = 90
DUP - 28 seats and 28.1% of the vote
Sinn Fein - 27 seats and 27.9% of the vote
SDUP - 12 seats and 11.9% of the vote
Green - 2 seats and 2.3% of the vote

Where is Supplementary Vote used?

Mayoral Elections

Police and Crime Commissioners Elections

How does SV work?

Voters are given 2 preferential votes for candidates
First vote is for a candidate who must achieve 50% + if they want to be elected.
Second choice votes used if no one reaches 50%

What type of system is SV?

Majoritarian

What is a majoritarian system?

Associated with a strong, single party Government

Must gain a majority in order to be elected

Advantages of SV

Relatively simple system to use 
Encourages moderate campaigning 
Reduces tactical voting 
Reduction in wasted votes
Ensures good and strong links between candidate and those who they represent

Disadvantages of SV

Smaller parties/candidates needs to secure enough 1st preference votes which is hard Not all candidates receive the majority in the 1st preference vote May need to vote tactically to determine top two candidates to avoid wasted votes

Where is the Additional Member System used?

Scottish Parliament | Welsh Assembly

How does AMS work?

Voters are given two separate votes. First vote is used to choose a member for their local constituency in which the most votes leads to a win Second vote is for a candidate from a party list - top-up members

What type of system is AMS?

Proportional System

Advantages of AMS

Each member is directly accountable just like a single-member constituency Proportional and so is more accurate and representative of the electorate Voters given a wider choice Coalition Government is more likely

Disadvantages of AMS

Smaller parties are less represented in this system Two types of representatives are created which may bring about animosity between them and confusion List members are chosen by the party and are answerable to the party, not the voters as they did not decide Can be a complicated system

What is a referendum?

Direct democracy | A vote on a particular issue

Advantages of using referendums

Allow electorate to decide on big constitutional issues Help to create a more engaged and better educated and informed electorate Strengthen democracy by allowing the public to speak for themselves Can settle longstanding disputes and disagreements Further opportunity to participate

Disadvantages of using referendums

Undermine the authority of Parliament May impose a decision on a reluctant Parliament Can be asked more than once until the right answer is achieved Can bring about a very divisive society Campaigns may be misleading and oversimplify complex issues Decisions in the hands of those who lack specialised knowledge Simplify and distort issues Too regular use may result in voter disillusion and apathy

What is a coalition Government?

When no majority is achieved and so two parties run government together to gain a majority

How many members does the Northern Ireland Assembly have? | How many by STV

90 multi-member constituencies 5 in 18 constituencies

How many members does the Scottish Parliament have? | How many members by what system?

129 73 by FPTP 56 by AMS

How many members does the Welsh Assembly have? | How many members by what system?

60 40 FPTP 20 AMS