C1: Electoral Systems Flashcards
What are the five functions of elections?
Representation
Choosing Government
Holding Government to account
Participation
Influence over Policy
How does the First Past the Post electoral system work?
Voters make one choice, whichever candidate gets the most votes wins.
Which general elections have led to the winning party losing the popular vote?
1951, 1974
What are some advantages of FPTP?
Quick and Easy
Will provide strong majority government
Excludes extremist parties
Provides strong link between MPs and local constituencies
What are some disadvantages of FPTP?
MPs and Government don’t need 50% of the vote
Lack of Porportionality
Limited voter choice
Votes are of unequal value
What percentage of votes to seats did Tony Blair get in 1997?
43% of the vote for 63% of the seats
What percentage of votes to seats did Boris Johnson get in 2019?
44% of the vote to 56% of the seats
What does AMS stand for?
Additional Member System
How does AMS work?
Voters get two votes:
One for constituency MP, and another for a party list, where ‘top-up’ MPs are selected for multi-member regional constituencies.
Where is AMS used?
Scottish Parliament & Welsh Assembly
How many ‘top-up’ seats are there in Hollyrood?
56 out of the 129 are top-up seats.
What are advantages of AMS?
Top-up component adds elements of PR
FPTP component keeps regional link
Voters get wider choice than under FPTP
Gives smaller parties greater chance
What are some disadvantages of AMS?
Creates two types of member - ‘top-up’ MPs may lack legitimacy
CLosed list system used - list MPs selected by party leadership
Smaller parties still achieve less than they would under full PR.
What does STV Stand for?
Single Transferable Vote
How does STV work?
Multi-member constituencies
Voters rank candidates.
Every candidate has to meet a quota to become elected, calculated with the Droop formula. If no candidates meet the quota, or the seats are not filled, the least popular candidate is eliminated and their second preference votes are distributed. This continues until the seats are full.
Where is STV used?
Northern Irish Assembly
What is an advantage of STV?
Close correlation between no. of votes & seats
Voter choice is high
Created a power-sharing arrangement in Northern Ireland
What are some disadvantages of STV?
Not fully porportional
Link between member and their voters is weakened
Power-sharing agreements are often prone to conflict.
What does SV stand for?
Supplementary Vote
How does SV work?
Voters get two votes, first and second choice. If no candidate gets above 50% of the vote, all but the top 2 are eliminated, and second preference votes are distributed, getting an overall winner.
Where is SV used?
London Mayor elections, Police & Crime Commissioner elections
What are advantages of SV?
Ensures broad support for the winner
Simple & Straightforward to use
Has allowed some independents to win (Ken Livingstone)
What are some disadvantages of SV?
Not very proportional
Winner doesn’t need an absolute majority
Voters need to identify the top 2 candidates for second preference to be worth anything
What are the four main reasons for calling a referendum?
Legitimising a major decision - Devolution
Getting the government out of a tricky spot - EU Entry
A result of a political deal - AV referendum
Public/Political Pressure - Brexit/IndyRef
