7. Elections and referendums Flashcards
1
Q
What are the different types of voting systems?
A
- First Past the Post (FPTP)
- Supplementary Vote (SV)
- Single Transferable vote (STV)
- Additional Member System (AMS)
2
Q
What are the advantages of FPTP?
A
- Simple: voters put an X next to their preferred canidate
- easy to understand
- each constituency is represented by one MP
- FPTP tends to produce 2 party system - clear choice
- extremists parties find it difficult to win seats
- tends to result in majority single party governments
- governments are easily held accountable
3
Q
What are the disadvantages of FPTP?
A
- Millions of wasted votes
- encourages tactical voting
- choice of candiates is made by party but not voters
- voters in safe seats can feel like there is no point in voting
- ignore safe seat constituencies and focus on marginal seats
- favours parties with concentrated geographical support
- minor parties struggle to convince supporters to vote for them
- UK has a multi-party system with a voting system designed for 2 parties
4
Q
What is the Majoritarian system? - SV
A
- Elections for the mayor of London
- Police and Crime Commissioner elections
- A canidate needs 50% + 1 vote to win
- single member constituencies
- if no canidate wins a majority from the first preferences, the second preferences of all but the top two canidates are counted
5
Q
What is the Proportional system? - STV
A
- Northern Ireland elections
- seats are allocated in proportion to the number of votes received by each party
- large multi-member constituencies
- canidate needs a certain number of votes to win a seat
6
Q
What is the Mixed system? - AMS
A
- Elections to the Sottish parliament, National assembly for Wales
- the greater proportion of seats in the legislature are elected using FPTP
7
Q
What are the advantages of SV?
A
Increased legitimacy; representatives need to command broader support than under FPTP
- Choice: voters can vote for minor parties with their first preference and use their second preference for whichever front-runner they would most like to win
8
Q
What are the disadvantages of SV?
A
- Not proportional
- v. difficult for minor parties to win
- votes for anyone other than the two main canidates are still wasted
9
Q
What is the advantages of STV?
A
- Proportional: voters can support minor parties knowing their vote will count
- Greatest choice: sing STV, voters can choose both the party and the individual canidate
10
Q
What are the disadvantages of STV?
A
- Coalition governments are highly likely: these may be weal or unstable
- constituencies: the link between the voter and their representative is weaker as the constituencies are so large
- complex counting system
11
Q
What is the advantages of AMS?
A
- Choice: voters can confidently vote for minor parties with their regional list vote
- split ticket voting allows voters to choose one party for their constituency vote and a different party for their list vote
12
Q
What are the disadvantages of AMS?
A
- Does not deliver a fully proportional result, as the majority of the seats are FPTP
- two classes of representative are elected: some represent constituencies, other larger regions
- voters cannot choose between individual candidates on the closed list
- majority governments are less likely than the FPTP
13
Q
How does age effect voting behaviour?
A
- 2017 age was the most important predictor of how people voted in the GE
- Young people are more likely to vote Labour
- every 10 years you are 10% point more likely to vote for Conservative
- 2016 EU referendum 18-34 yr old majority voted to remain
- Turnout increases with age: 57% 18-19 yr olds voted 2017 compared to 84% 70+
14
Q
How does Class effect voting behaviour?
A
- Traditionally, class was the main predictor e.g. Working class - labour upper/middle - upper
- Middle class were more likely to vote remain in EU Referendum
- the Labour Party - commonly seen as a party for the working classes - received 44% of the overall working class vote (social classes D and E) in the 2017 General Election. - HOWEVER, social classes have been moving away from their traditional party lines as was seen in the 2019 General Election where they same social classes D and E voted 47% for the Conservative Party and only 34% for Labour.
15
Q
How does Gender effect voting behaviour?
A
- Women were more likely to vote remain in the EU ref rather than men
- 2010 election 30% of women aged 18-24 voted Conservative, while the corresponding figure for women over 55 was 42%.
16
Q
How does Ethnicity effect voting behaviour?
A
- BAME are significantly more likely to vote labour - 65% BAME 2017 voted Labour
- BAME - 1997 80% voted Lab
17
Q
How does Region effect voting behaviour?
A
- Rural English and Southern constituencies are more likely to vote Conserative
- Conservative gains in 2005 were made almost exclusively in the south
- 2010 - turnout:
+ turnout in the south-east and south-west was 68% and 69.1% respectively, while in the less affluent north-west it was 62.6%
18
Q
What are the theories on voters choice?
A
- Rational choice theory
- issue voting
- valance issues
19
Q
What is rational choice theory?
A
- Assumes that voters weigh up all the political options logically and vote for the party that will deliver the best result for them
20
Q
What is issue voting?
A
- Voter prioritise one issue above all others and vote purely based on that issue
21
Q
What is valance issues?
A
- Valence issues are those that are universally accepted to be important
- voters choose a party based on how well they think the party will perform on those issues e.g. Cons & economy Lab & public services
- Economy is probably the most important Valence issue
22
Q
1979 General election?
A
- following Winter of Discontent
- Lab (Callaghan) v Con (Thatcher)
- 43 seat maj to Cons
- MC more likely to vote Con WC more likely to vote Lab
- More media focus on leaders - Thatcher used TV to raise profile
- Sun switched to Con support
- Cons - getting economy going again, lowering unemployment - “Labour isn’t working”
23
Q
1997 General election?
A
- Cons in power since 1979 & Major’s gov tainted with sleaze
- 179 seat maj to Lab
- 70% BAME voters, 43% White - Lab
- NEW LABOUR - getting rid of clause 4
- Sun switched to Lab - Spin doctors managed Lab integrations with the media
- Third way - designed to appeal to broad range of voters
- Cons divided over Europe
- Campagins focused on leaders
24
Q
2017 General Election?
A
- Snap election by May - May expected to win
- Hung parliament - cons lost 13 seats Lab gained 30 seats
- 46% AB voted con 38% Lab
- 41% DE voted con 44% Lab
- 39% men voted lab 45% con
- 73% BAME Lab 19% Con
- Corbyn’s polcies highly criticised
- Sun supported Con
- Lab used social media to counter negative publicity
- Cons focus on Brexit - Lab wanted to spend on public services
- May lost her majority but won most seats - formed gov with DUP
- Cons unable to deliver on Brexit
25
Q
What are the reasons for calling a referendum?
A
- constitutional change - give specific mandate for planned constitutional change e.g. devolution
- political forces - government may feel compelled to all a referendum if nationalists parties are gaining ground e.g. 2014 Scottish independence
- party or government management - to settle an issue e.g. 1975 Lab divided over EEC
26
Q
UK EEC referendum 1975
A
- lab PM - party divided over joiningg the EEC or not
- 67% to stay
27
Q
UK EEC membership referendum 1975
A
- lab PM - party divided over joining the EEC or not
- 67% to stay
28
Q
Scottish and Welsh devolution referendum 1979
A
- growing calls for devolution
- did not meet the 40% threshold in Scotland and Wales voted against
29
Q
Scottish and Welsh devolution referendum 1997
A
- introduction of Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly
- Scotland 74% es
- Wales - 50% turnout 50.3% yes
30
Q
Good Friday agreement referendum 1998
A
- aimed to end the troubles
- 71% yes
- 81% turnout
31
Q
UK Alternative Vote referendum 2011
A
- coalition agreement CON&LD
- 68% voted to keep FPTP
- 42% turnout
32
Q
Scottish independence referendum 2014
A
- SNP wanted to have Scottish independence
- 55% voted remain
- 84.5% turnout
33
Q
UK EU membership
A
- 2015 conservative manifesto promised an EU referendum
- 52% remain
- 72% turnout
34
Q
What are the positive impact of referendums on democracy?
A
- enhance direct democracy
- high turnout in some referendums - evidence that there is improved political participation
- regular use of referendums since 1998 suggest that they have been an effective means of decision making
35
Q
What are the negative impacts of referendums on democracy?
A
- governments still hold the power, not the people governments tend not to hold referendums that they think they might lose
- low turnout in some referendums suggest that the public are not always engaged
- referendums threaten parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy
- poor-quality campagins can mislead or confuse the public e.g. Bojo and Brexit referendum campaign (£350M a week to NHS)
- referendums offer no protection against the tyranny of the majority
