📰| 6. Election & Campaigning

Question 1

Individual Participation in Election Campaigns

Answer 1

• Standing as Candidate
• Canvassing
• Social Media

Question 2

Media Participation in Election Campaigns

Answer 2

• Newspapers
• Television & Radio
• Social Media

Question 3

Political Party Participation in Election Campaigns

Answer 3

• Manifestos
• Key Messages
• Candidates

Question 4

Election Campaigns (Individuals):

Standing as a candidate

Answer 4

• One way that an individual can participate in election campaigns is through standing as a candidate.
• Individuals who are either a British / Irish citizen, eligible commonwealth citizen or a qualifying foreign national over the age of 18 can stand as a candidate in elections through joining a political party, or being an independent candidate.
• For example, Collette Stevenson stood as a candidate from the SNP party and became an MSP at the 2021 election.

Question 5

Election Campaigns (Individuals):

Canvassing

Answer 5

• One way that an individual can participate in election campaigns is by canvassing.
• Individuals can knock on doors or telephone voters to secure their support in the run up to elections, as well as use this as an opportunity to discuss priorities and concerns.

Question 6

Election Campaigns (Individuals):

Social Media

Answer 6

• One way that an individual can participate in election campaigns is through the use of social media.
• Individuals have the capability of sharing videos or articles to persuade people to support them or their parties.
• For example, Shona Robinson is one of many MSPs to use a social media account in order to spread persuasive information about her party - SNP.

Question 7

Election Campaigns (Media):

Newspapers

Answer 7

• One way that the media influences election campaigns is through newspapers.
• Newspapers have the ability to show bias towards a particular side in elections, as well as hold politicians to account which can influence voters.
• For example, The Daily Telegraph supports the Conservative party, whilst The National supports the Scottish National Party.

Question 8

Election Campaigns (Media):

Television & Radio

Answer 8

• One way that the media influences election campaigns is through television & radio.
• TV and radio inform voters for their choices, and allow for candidates to be interviewed on their policies and failures.
• For example, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was interviewed by ITV News in March 2021 on the run up to the Holyrood Elections.

Question 9

Election Campaigns (Media):

Social Media

Answer 9

• One way that the media influences election campaigns is through social media.
• Social Media’s influence on election campaigns has increased significantly in recent years, and allows for voters to be reached directly instead of being filtered through other media.
• For example, SNP’s Angus Robertson said that the ‘Yes’ campaign would not have received 45% votes if not for social media, which was backed up by a Glasgow University study which found that the ‘Yes’ campaign was more popular than the ‘No’ campaign on social media, despite the actual outcome.

Question 10

Election Campaigns (Political Parties):

Manifestos

Answer 10

• One way that political parties participate in election campaigns is through manifestos.
• Political parties publish manifestos to detail their policies that will be implemented if they are able to form a government, and allow voters to use them in order to make an informed decision.
• For example, the SNP used their 2021 manifesto to detail their plans on increasing spending for the NHS.

Question 11

Election Campaigns (Political Parties):

Key Messages

Answer 11

• One way that political parties participate in election campaigns is through key messages.
• Parties decide on key messages for members and candidates to use in order to attract voters, which are re-inforced in the media and allow for a party to seem united.
• For example, the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party focused on remaining in the UK as their key message in 2021.

Question 12

Election Campaigns (Political Parties):

Candidates

Answer 12

• One way that political parties participate in election campaigns is through their candidates.
• Most parties select candidates through members of their parties local branch, as well as taking advantage of the additional member system which allows for more seats to be won based on regional votes.
• For example, in 2021 Pam Duncan-Glacy was selected as Labour’s candidate for the Glasgow constituency.