3.2 - Different Electoral Systems Flashcards
What categories do the three electoral systems in the UK fall under?
- Majoritarian
- Plurality
- Proportional
What voting system does the majoritarian system fall under?
Supplementary Vote
What voting system does the plurality system fall under?
First-past-the-post
What voting system does the proportional system fall under?
Additional Member System (AMS)
Single Transferrable Vote (STV)
How does the majoritarian system work?
- A majority of >50% is required to win.
- May refer to the number of votes to win a seat, or the number of seats to win a government.
- Likely produces a two-party system.
How does the plurality system work?
- A plurality of votes means having more votes than anyone else, but not necessarily an overall majority.
- Likely to produce a two-party system.
How does the proportional system work?
- Seats are allocated in a manner that roughly reflects the percentage of votes gained by a party.
- Likely to produce a multi-party system.
How often should GE’s occur?
Once every 5 years.
Why do some GE’s occur more often than the given time?
If 2/3 of the MP’s vote for a GE.
How many constituencies are there in the UK?
650.
What is the smaller geographic area for election purposes known as?
A constituency.
What is the disconnect between the current electoral system and voter behaviour?
- Most people vote on their party preference rather than the local MP. - - You are actually supposed to vote for a local MP rather than the overall party.
How many seats do you have to win to form a majority government?
326 / 650.
What happens if no party has a majority?
Two or more parties may choose to work together and form a coalition, or the party may choose to form a minority government.
What does FPTP often lead to in regards with party systems?
Often leads to a two-party system due to its plural nature.
What is the problem with FPTP in some constituencies?
A winner takes all nature means that a person can win the seat with far less than 50% of the vote, provided the other parties get less than them.
What is an example of the FPTP problem?
Alasdair McDonnell achieved just 24.5% of the popular vote, yet still won his seat. He represents less than a quarter of the people in his constituency at Westminster.
What is the ‘winner’s bonus’?
The outcome that FPTP often leads to the winning party being overrewarded.
What does FPTP often do?
Return a single party with a strong majority.
Why have the elections from 2010, 2015 and 2017 been interesting?
In 2010, 2015 and 2017, they have all not had a major one-party dominance.
What are the differences with coalition and confidence and supply?
Coalition:
A formal agreement between both parties, forming a government.
Joint party policies and goals for the duration of the coalition.
The government is formed from all parties in the coalition.
Confidence and Supply:
A more informal agreement between one another.
Support the government on issues of ‘confidence’ and ‘supply’ in return for government support on issues important for the other party.
Government is formed with members from one party.
What does FPTP lead to in terms of seats?
Safe and swing seats.
What are the traditional advantages of FPTP?
- Simplicity
- Strong government
- MP-constituency link
- Centrist policies
What are the traditional disadvantages of FPTP?
- Lack of voter choice
- Unequal vote value
- No majority needed
- Disproportionate result
Why is FPTP simplicity a benefit of FPTP?
It should cause more voters to vote as it is incredibly easy, putting an X in a box.
Why is a strong government a benefit of FPTP?
Traditionally, it has always provided the country with a clear winner. The ‘winner’s bonus’ has always provided a strong majority.
Why is the MP-constituency link a benefit of FPTP?
An elected official is more likely to be interested in remedying local issues as they are more likely to be re-elected as a result.
Why are the centrist policies a benefit of FPTP?
Reduces the chance of an extremist group entering parliament.
Why is the lack of voter choice a disadvantage of FPTP?
- The ‘winner-takes-all’ nature means that the only real choice for many voters is between Labour and Conservatives.
- Websites such as Vote Swap have become more popular as voters could pledge to swap their votes with others in the country depending on how safe their constituency was.
Why is an unequal vote value a disadvantage of FPTP?
If a person lives in a safe seat, their vote is far less valuable than that of a person in a swing seat.
Why is the lack of a majority a disadvantage of FPTP?
The election that takes place does not require a candidate to have a majority, merely a plurality, so the candidate’s legitimacy is reduced.
Why is a disproportionate result a disadvantage of FPTP?
As explained earlier, the disproportionate result leads to the over-representation of the larger parties, and under-representation of the smaller parties.
This reduces voter choice, but also creates artificial majorities that may not reflect the political beliefs of the nation.
What is the Conservative belief on FPTP?
They believe it should remain as it makes it easier for them to remain in office as it creates artificial majorities for themselves.
What have the developments been within the argument of FPTP system reform?
- Increasing number of Safe Seats
- Disproportionate results
- Failure to deliver strong single-party government
Why has the increasing number of safe seats been an argument for FPTP system reform?
- In 2015, 21 seats were won by more than 50%.
- In 2017, 35 seats were won by more than 50%.
- This demonstrates the increasing inequality of the value of a vote in the UK.
Why has the increasing number of disproportionate results been an argument for FPTP system reform?
- With more votes cast for third parties, the disproportionate result of the vote has become more noticeable.
- 2015, UKIP gained ~ 4 million votes but achieved only 1 seat. SNP gained ~1.5 million votes but achieved 56 seats.
- Within each of the countries of the UK, a different party won each election.
What did Labour implement in terms of devolved powers?
They added a Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and had discussions for a devolved party in Northern Ireland.
How are devolved powers voted for?
Proportionally.
Where is the AMS implemented?
- The Scottish Parliament.
- Welsh Assembly.
How does the AMS work?
Each voter is given two votes.
One for their local representative, one for their regional representative.
What are the two parts of the AMS ballot?
- Constituency Vote
- Regional Vote
How does the constituency vote work within AMS?
- The country is divided into smaller constituencies.
- Each constituency elects a single representative on a ‘winner-take-all’ basis.
- Whoever is elected is given a seat within the Parliament.
How does the Regional Vote work within AMS?
- The country is divided into larger areas made up of multiple constituencies.
- You are given another vote for the regional area, voting for a party rather than a person.
- The regional votes are counted, and then applied to the formula: number of regional votes / number of seats a given party has gained + 1.
- The formula is then completed for each party, with the party with the largest number having another seat.
- This process is repeated until the desired number of seats are allocated.
Table explaining AMS
This is just a table explaining the AMS system. I don’t know why you’ve flipped over the card, it’s self-explanatory. The fact you’re still reading this is criminal in and of itself. Frankly, I’m talking nonsense here waiting for the HEIC to jpg converter to work so I can add the very table you should be studying very closely.
