3.2 - Different Electoral Systems Flashcards
1
Q
What categories do the three electoral systems in the UK fall under?
A
Majoritarian
Plurality
Proportional
2
Q
What voting system does the majoritarian system fall under?
A
Supplementary Vote
3
Q
What voting system does the plurality system fall under?
A
First-past-the-post
4
Q
What voting system does the proportional system fall under?
A
Additional Member System (AMS)
Single Transferrable Vote (STV)
5
Q
How does the majoritarian system work?
A
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.
6
Q
How does the plurality system work?
A
A plurality of votes means having more votes than anyone else, but not necessarily an overall majority.
Likely to produce a two-party system.
7
Q
How does the proportional system work?
A
Seats are allocated in a manner that roughly reflects the percentage of votes gained by a party.
Likely to produce a multi-party system.
8
Q
How often should GE’s occur?
A
Once every 5 years.
9
Q
Why do some GE’s occur more often than the given time?
A
If 2/3 of the MP’s vote for a GE.
10
Q
How many constituencies are there in the UK?
A
650.
11
Q
What is the smaller geographic area for election purposes known as?
A
A constituency.
12
Q
How many people should each constituency have as of today?
A
100,000
13
Q
What is the disconnect between the current electoral system and voter behaviour?
A
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.
14
Q
How many seats do you have to win to form a majority government?
A
326 / 650.
15
Q
What happens if no party has a majority?
A
Two or more parties may choose to work together and form a coalition, or the party may choose to form a minority government.
16
Q
What does FPTP often lead to in regards with party systems?
A
Often leads to a two-party system due to its plural nature.
17
Q
What is the problem with FPTP in some constituencies?
A
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.
18
Q
What is an example of the FPTP problem?
A
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.
19
Q
What is the ‘winner’s bonus’?
A
The outcome that FPTP often leads to the winning party being overrewarded.
20
Q
What does FPTP often do?
A
Return a single party with a strong majority.
21
Q
Why have the elections from 2010, 2015 and 2017 been interesting?
A
In 2010, 2015 and 2017, they have all not had a major one-party dominance.
22
Q
What are the differences with coalition and confidence and supply?
A
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.
23
Q
What does FPTP lead to in terms of seats?
A
Safe and swing seats.
24
Q
What are the traditional advantages of FPTP?
A
Simplicity
Strong government
MP-constituency link
Centrist policies
25
What are the traditional disadvantages of FPTP?
Lack of voter choice
Unequal vote value
No majority needed
Disproportionate result
26
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.
27
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.
28
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.
29
Why are the centrist policies a benefit of FPTP?
Reduces the chance of an extremist group entering parliament.
30
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.
31
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.
32
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.
33
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.
34
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.
35
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
36
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.
37
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.
38
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.
39
How are devolved powers voted for?
Proportionally.
40
Where is the AMS implemented?
The Scottish Parliament.
Welsh Assembly.
41
How does the AMS work?
Each voter is given two votes.
One for their local representative, one for their regional representative.
42
What are the two parts of the AMS ballot?
Constituency Vote
Regional Vote
43
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.
44
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.
45
How many MSP's are there?
129.
46
How many MSP's are decided by constituency vote?
73.
47
How many MSP's are decided by regional vote?
56.
48
What is the formula for AMS in Scotland and Wales known as?
d'Hondt Formula.
49
What does the regional vote cause?
Parties that do less well within the constituency vote are more likely to gain seats.
50
What party particularly benefits from the AMS in Scotland?
Conservatives.
51
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.
52
What are the advantages of the AMS system?
Proportional Result
Split-ticket Voting
Government with broad popularity
Greater Representation
53
Why is the proportional result a benefit of the AMS?
The second stage attempts to rectify the problems of the prior FPTP stage.
The more constituency seats a party gains, the more difficult it is to gain a regional seat as the total regional vote is divided by a larger number.
It increases the legitimacy of the government.
54
Why is split-ticket voting a benefit of the AMS?
Voters have more choices with two votes to cast, which can be independent of one another.
This encourages more parties to run, particularly within the regional ballot.
55
Why is a government with broad popularity a benefit of AMS?
Due to the second stage of AMS, a party must have broad popularity across a whole country, not just in concentrated pockets.
Governments become more legitimate, particularly if they are within a coalition.
56
Why is greater representation a benefit of AMS?
All areas are represented by a constituency and regional representative, so voters are more likely to find someone that represents their idealogy.
57
What are the negatives of AMS?
More complicated
Single-party governments become very unlikely
The first round
Different types of representatives
Party Control
58
Why is being more complicated a negative of the AMS?
The first stage of voting is very simple, the second is not. Many voters may be put off as it could appear the vote is mathematically manipulated, therefore reducing turnout.
59
Why is an unlikely single-party government a negative of the AMS?
The proportional nature of AMS means single-party governments are notoriously difficult to achieve, making coalitions more likely. This makes governments weaker and more unable to pass policies.
60
Why is the first round a negative of the AMS?
The first round is a constituency vote, which is conducted by FPTP. This carries the same negatives that the FPTP does.
61
Why are different representatives a negative of the AMS?
Having two representatives can cause tension and confusion for voters. It also blurs accountability as people may be unclear as to who to blame for problems in their area.
62
Why is party control a negative of the AMS?
Within the regional vote, a party decides on the order of its list. Voters have to decide to support the entire list, or none of it. This may be due to one party candidate being a deal-breaker.
63
What are the overall effects of the AMS?
A multiparty system - likely leading to coalition
Safe seats and swing seats from the FPTP side
64
What is the Single Transferable Vote?
Voters express their preference, ranking them from 1 to X+1. X > 1. {x: x = ℤ}
65
What is ordinal voting?
A vote cast in which the voter ranks candidates in order of preference, ranking as few, or as many as they wish.
66
Where is the STV used in the UK?
Northern Irish Assembly.
67
How does the STV work in practice?
The country is divided into large multi-member regions.
A voter is given a ballot paper for all the candidates running in their region.
The voter ranks them in order from 1 to X+1. X>1 {x: x=ℤ}
The total number of votes within each region is then counted.
A candidate must then meet a droop quota to be elected.
Any candidates that achieve the droop quota are automatically elected.
The votes they achieve over the droop quota are then redistributed to any second preferences they had.
If another party achieves above the droop quota, they are then elected.
If no parties meet the quota, the smallest party is eliminated, and all of their votes are redistributed across the other parties.
This repeats until all of the seats are filled.
68
What is the equation for the droop quota?
(Total number of valid votes in a region / number of seats available in the region +1) +1.
69
What does the STV do in terms of vote representation?
There is a closer correlation between voter percentage, and seats elected.
70
What are the effects of STV?
A multiparty system.
Coalition governments.
The likelihood of safe seats is low.
Value of each vote is more uniform.
71
What are the advantages of STV?
Proportional Result
Voter Choice
Greater Representation
72
Why is a proportional result an advantage of STV?
It is the most proportional system used within the UK. THe result is closely correlated between the percentage of vote cast and percentage of seats gained.
73
Why is voter choice an advantage of STV?
Voters have a great deal of choice, not only between parties but also within parties.
74
Why is greater representation an advantage of STV?
The multi-member constituencies mean a voter is likely to have someone available that shares their ideologies.
75
What are the disadvantages of STV?
More complicated.
Unlikely single-party government.
Lack of Constituency Link
76
Why is being more complicated a negative of STV?
While the process is simple, the following maths is more difficult to understand, so people may choose not to vote.
77
Why is an unlikely single-party government a negative of STV?
The proportional nature means that most governments will need to be coalitions. These are often weaker than single-party governments.
78
Why is a lack of a constituency link a negative of STV?
With no local representatives, the link between an elected representative and their area is weaker.
79
What is a supplementary vote?
A majoritarian voting system in which voters can express two preferances.
80
Why do Londoners now have an elected mayor?
A referendum in 1998.
81
How is London Mayor elected?
FPTP.
82
What does the supplementary vote ensure?
The winner must have a majority of the vote.
83
Who was the first London mayor?
Ken Livingstone.
84
What party did Ken Livingstone run for during his time as London Mayor?
None.
He was independant.
85
How often are mayorial elections for London?
Once every 4 years.
86
How does the supplementary vote work in practice?
The area is treated as one large constituency.
Voters are given a ballot paper with all of the candidates listed, along with two columns.
The voter will place an X for their first choice, and an X for a different second choice.
If anyone has a majority, they win the election.
If no one has a majority, only the top two candidates remain, and the second votes for the eliminated candidates are reallocated to the final two candidates.
Whoever has a majority at this point wins.
87
What was the mayorial election turnout in 2016?
45%.
88
How many voters turned out to vote in the 2016 London Mayorial Election?
2.5 million.
89
How many voters expressed no second preference?
~400,000.
90
What are the effects of SV?
Likely a two-party system. (possibly more so than FPTP)
91
What are the advantages of the SV?
Majority result
Voter choice
Simple system
92
Why is a majority result a benefit of the SV?
Increases the legitimacy, while still ensuring extremist parties are kept out of influence.
93
Why is voter choice a benefit of the SV?
Voters can vote for a smaller party with their first choice, but using their second choice on a larger party to ensure their vote is not wasterd.
94
Why is a simple system a benefit of the SV?
It is easy to understand.
95
What are the disadvantages of the SV?
Two party dominance.
A false majority.
Wasted votes.
96
Why is a two-party dominance a negative of the SV?
The elimination of all but two candidates in one go means that third parties are unlikely to do well, making the result less proportional.
This may encourage tactical voting with the second choice.
97
Why is a false majority a negative of the SV?
As there are two rounds of voting, the voters may not actually have wanted the winner in office, but as they had enough second choice votes, they take office.
98
Why are wasted votes a negative of the SV?
Similar to FPTP, there are a large number of wasted votes that have little to no effect on the election outcome.
99
Table showing FPTP.
My name is Walter Hartwell White. I live at 308 Negra Arroyo Lane, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87104. This is my confession. If you're watching this tape, I'm probably dead– murdered by my brother-in-law, Hank Schrader. Hank has been building a meth empire for over a year now, and using me as his chemist. Shortly after my 50th birthday, he asked that I use my chemistry knowledge to cook methamphetamine, which he would then sell using connections that he made through his career with the DEA. I was... astounded. I... I always thought Hank was a very moral man, and I was particularly vulnerable at the time – something he knew and took advantage of. I was reeling from a cancer diagnosis that was poised to bankrupt my family. Hank took me in on a ride-along and showed me just how much money even a small meth operation could make. And I was weak. I didn't want my family to go into financial ruin, so I agreed. Hank had a partner, a businessman named Gustavo Fring. Hank sold me into servitude to this man. And when I tried to quit, Fring threatened my family. I didn't know where to turn. Eventually, Hank and Fring had a falling-out. Things escalated. Fring was able to arrange – uh, I guess... I guess you call it a "hit" – on Hank, and failed, but Hank was seriously injured. And I wound up paying his medical bills, which amounted to a little over $177,000. Upon recovery, Hank was bent on revenge. Working with a man named Hector Salamanca, he plotted to kill Fring. The bomb that he used was built by me, and he gave me no option in it. I have often contemplated suicide, but I'm a coward. I wanted to go to the police, but I was frightened. Hank had risen to become the head of the Albuquerque DEA. To keep me in line, he took my children. For three months, he kept them. My wife had no idea of my criminal activities, and was horrified to learn what I had done. I was in hell. I hated myself for what I had brought upon my family. Recently, I tried once again to quit, and in response, he gave me this. [Walt points to the bruise on his face left by Hank in "Blood Money."] I can't take this anymore. I live in fear every day that Hank will kill me, or worse, hurt my family. All I could think to do was to make this video and hope that the world will finally see this man for what he really is.
100
What is the Jenkin's Commission?
Labour set up this commission (while in power) to look into possible FPTP replacements.
101
What was expected of proportional systems in terms of government types?
More coalition / minority governments.
102
Are there more parties in elections due to the proportional systems?
Yes. Nationalist and unionist parties have seen success. Along with this, the Conservative party has seen more success in Scotland due the AMS.
103
What has been argued about smaller parties representation?
Their powers are over-represented as small parties have now become kingmakers as they can choose who enters into power especially if elections are close.
104
What impact has proportional systems had on the wider UK FPTP system?
Smaller nationalist parties such as the SNP saw more success within Scotland and as a result became a larger party in the larger GE's.
105
What is the problem with voter data garnered from devolved bodies?
Despite appearing that less people have turned out due to the complexity, many people do not turnout to vote as they do not think it's important in terms of devolution.
Extrapolating data is dangerous as these systems have not been integrated in a nationwide elction.
106
Should FPTP be replaced for UK General Elections?
(Yes)
FPTP is no longer producing a strong single-party government as promised.
The lack of proportionality does not fit with the principles of representative democracy.
The government could be argued to lack legitimacy due to a minority of voters actually voting for them.
'One person, one vote' is not actually applicable as inequality in voter value exists due to FPTP.
Many votes are wasted leading to tactical voting.
The two-party system undermines liberal and pluralist democratic principles.
107
Should FPTP be replaced for UK General Elections?
(No)
The FPTP system is widely understood by the public, so an educated public is more likely to vote increasing the legitimacy of the government.
Governments tend to be strong and stable.
Smaller parties can still do well.
Popular parties gaining votes but not seats still have their policies adopted by the larger parties.
There is a clear choice in a two-party system.
Proportional systems weaken the link between geographical areas and the people that represent them.
108
Why have questions about FPTP maintained despite the public voting to not adopt AV?
The contentious 2015 and 2017 elections ensure these questions remain.
109
Where is AV used in British politics?
It is used to decide the Labour party leader.
110
How does AV work?
Voter rank candidates in order of choice.
If on the first count, no candidate has reached >50% of the vote, the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated and votes are given to the second place candidate.
The process continues until one candidate reaches 50%.
