Comp 1: Electoral Systems Flashcards
General elections
- every 5 years due to fixed term parliament act
- unlike 2017-19
Devolved assembly elections
- Scottish welsh and NI assemblies
- every 4 years
- first held in 1998 in NI and 1999 in Scot and wales
Forming govts
Forming govt:
- remove unwanted govt like in 1979 and 1997 (clear change elections)
- fptp unable unable to get single winning govt- 2010 and 2017
- can remove wanted govts like 1970 when more people voted for Heaths govt but fptp proved Labour Party more seats. Also true for 1951
Representation of elections
- communication between govt and people: publically accountable like dismissal of Tory party in 1997
- not representative: govts elected on less that 50% of vote. 2019, 229/650 MPs elected with less than 50% support in constituencies.
Safe seats
- 2019, 9.4m/32m votes cast were decisive in securing an candidate.
3 way margin
- vote more important in Sheffield than Knowsley
- due to 3 way margin between labour 1st place and Tory 3rd, only 88%.
- so individual votes less vital as single votes wont change outcome
- labour had 72.7% majority so votes in Knowsley wasted and surplus.
Winners bonus
- 2019 Tory won GE with 80 majority over labour
- 43.6% votes and 56.2% seats
- 1997 labour won GE
- 20% more seats than voters but Tory had only 5% more seats than votes
- 179 majority more than Tory
FPTP
2019:
- Mike Freer won despite not winning 50% of votes.
229/650 MPs who won in constituencies with less than 50% of vote in 2019
- CONCENTRATION: Tory won around 42000 vote and 2 seats, labour won 36000 votes but only one seat and LD won 34000 and no seats. SNP won 45% of vote and 81% of seats in a Scottish parliament.
2019 GE
- turnout = 67%
- 45% of votes
- 365/650 seats
- labour votes share decreased by 89% and lost 569 seats
2017 GE
- turnout = 68.8%
- ## Tory got 42.3% of vote share
2015 GE
- turnout = 66.2%
- Tory got 36.9% vote share and 331/650 seats
- labour gained 22 seats and lost 48
SV
- mayor of London elections, metropolitan mayors and police and crime commissioners
- only in 2016 has the mayor won 50% of total ballots
- in 2012, over 7% of votes were excluded from 2nd round meaning mayor Johnson won with 47.2% f the vote.
AMS
- Scottish parl, welsh parl and greater LND assembly
2016 Scottish election:
- turnout = 56%
- 129 seats in total and voters have 2 votes
- SNP won 59/63 seats from constituency MSPs and only 4 top up MSPs, whereas Torys got 7 constituency MSPs and 24 top ups.
STV
- NI Assembly
- 18 member constituencies
2017 NK assembly election more than 812000 votes cast - 64.8% (highest since 1998)
- electoral commissioner reported that 95% of voters found it easy to fill out ballot paper but 2001 1200 ballot papers were spoiled and new ballot paper was introduces in 2016 increasing NI turnout in 2017
Party representation - case for reform
- since 1999 more representation of political parties in westi - greens had 1 seat in west but 6 in Scottish parl, 2 in GLA and NIA
- 2016 Scottish parl elections, snp won 81% of seats under AMS but only 47% of vote.
Voter choice
- majoritarian, proportional and hybrid systems gives voter more choice.
- 2016 results in Scotland wales and London showed voters backing major parties in constituency round where third parties are unlikely to win. Greens won 0.6% of cons vote in 2016 Scottish parl election but 6.6% of regional vote winning 6 seats.
Types of govts
- proportional systems producing multiparty systems
- 2011 SNP formed majority govt in Scottish election which was an exception due to the before and after election results being lab-LD coalitions or SNP minority govts.
Referendums in general
- not legally binding
- used after 1970s
- only 4 used before labour in 1997
Referendums happened
2016 EU ref - 72.2% turnout - 52% leave
2014 Scot Ind - 85% - 55% not independent
2011 AV - 42% - 68% NO AV
1998 LND elected mayor + assembly - 33% - 72% YES
1998 Good Friday - 81% - 71% YES
Bedford mayoral elections SV TO FPTP
- elections act 2022
- moved to fptp
- favours Tory and Labour
Mainly Tory due to Lib Dem and Labour share votes
Scottish govt breakdown
- 2024 coalition between snp and green broke down
Disadvantage of AMS
Stormant suspended
- northern island assembly
- weakness of STV as it created created coalition
