3.1Different electoral systems Flashcards
1
Q
what is the most fundamental purpose of elections?
A
- representation, a representative is chosen at local, national, and regional areas to provide a link between them and who makes decisions on their behalf
2
Q
who represents a constituency
A
- an MP, each 650 constituency has one mp who represents them at parliament
3
Q
how is a government chosen?
A
- every 5 years at a general election
-0 could be done at a snap election, eg Rishi Sunak called a snap election for this coming July 4th - the leader of the party which wins the most number of seats will form a government
4
Q
how is a government held to account for failures?
A
- usually every 5 years the government has to face an electorate at a general election in order to renew its mandate to govern
5
Q
how do parties prepare for elections
A
- they have a party manifesto to try to convince people to vote for them however they aren’t always trustworthy
- eg: 2001 labour manifesto said ‘‘we will not introduce top up fees and have legislation to prevent them’ but increased them by 1k per year
6
Q
what is the first past the post system
A
- ## FPTP is a simple plurality system, voters cast a single vote
7
Q
what are the advantages of the FPTP system
A
- its quick and simple: result is usually known the next day and the government will be formed rapidly, proportional systems are less decisive than FPTP, eg Belgium took 18 months in 2010 to form a gov after a general election
- 68% chose to keep FPTP in a referendum in 2011 instead of getting the AV
- will result in a strong and stable gov: usually a 2-party system which gives voters a clear choice
- exclusion of extremists, UKIP which is a far right party git 3.9 million votes in 2015 but ended up with 1 seat
- helps provide a strong link between MPs and their constituencies
8
Q
disadvantages of FPTP
A
- MPs and gov can be elected without reaching a majority: Tony Blair won with 32.5%, voters may argue the system then lacks legitimacy
- lack of proportionality: UKIP eg
- limits the voters choice: each party only puts forward one candidate
- safe seats means that a voter may not see their preferred candidate win reducing voter turnout
- votes are also of unequal value, in a smaller constituency a vote can count for more than out would in a larger constituency
9
Q
what is the additional member system
A
its a hybrid or mixed system combining elements of PR and FPTP
10
Q
what is the single transferable vote
A
it is a form of proportional representation
11
Q
what is the supplementary vote
A
it is majoritarian rather than proportional
12
Q
where is the additional member system used
A
it is used in Scottish parliament, the welsh assembly ad the Greater London assembly
13
Q
how does the additional member system work
A
- voters have 2 votes, first for a constituency representative who’s elected using FPTP
- second is for a party list and uses multi member regional constituencies introducing an element of PR
14
Q
advantages of the additional member system
A
- it introduces a proportional element
- calculation is made using the d’hondt formula to determine how many members a party should be allocated from a list.
- Scottish Conservative party won no seats in 1997 using FPTP but AMS enabled them to win 18 seats in 1999
- voters get more of a choice, benefits smaller parties (good for pluralism)
- every vote counts, as it maintains constituency link
15
Q
disadvantages of the additional member system
A
- creates 2 different type of members, some with constituency responsibilities and some without
- it uses a close list system which means dissident members of party have a smaller chance of being elected
- more complex for the voter, coalitions more likely to occur as well, possibly allows for extremism such as AFD in Germany
- low turnout eg: 2021 senedd election 49% (EVAL: 2021 Scotland 63%
16
Q
how does the single transferable vote work?
A
- it uses multi member constituencies
- voters number their choices preferably, 1,2,3 etc
- to be elected the candidate needs to meet the quota, droop formula : divides number of votes cast by the number of seats contested +1
17
Q
what are the advantages of the single transferral vote
A
- close correlation between seats and votes
- voter choice is high, can choose between candidates in same party
- no safe seats, voters have to be active in process, more representation
- Northern Ireland has created a power sharing government enabling the unionists and nationalists have to work together to help end years of violence disturbance
18
Q
what are the disadvantages of the single transferable vote
A
- it isn’t fully proportional, particularly where smaller multi-member constituencies are used
- in large multi-member constituencies the link between the member and voter may be weak
- very complicated to workout, takes long
- in Northern Ireland, the groups brought together by STV are still prone to conflict. eg: NI executive was suspended in the early years, 2002-2007 for a lack of trust between the groups
19
Q
where is the single transferable vote used?
A
- Northern Ireland assembly
- European parliament election in NI
- Scottish council elections
20
Q
where is the supplementary vote used?
A
- elections for mayors eg: London mayor in the past (stopped in 2022)
- police and crime commissioners in England and Wales (no longer)
21
Q
how does the supplementary vote work
A
- each voter gets a first and second preference vote
- a candidate who gains majority Is elected (50%)
- if no one reaches a majority, voters choose on the top 2 candidates and all others are eliminated
22
Q
advantages of the supplementary vote
A
- simple and straightforward to use, easy for voters to undertstnd
- ensures broad support for the winner, eg Sadiq khan
23
Q
disadvantages of the supplementary vote?
A
- not proportional as one person is being elected to a single office
- winner doesn’t need an apsoulute majority of voters cast
