Comparative Government and Politics - Elections Flashcards
what are first-order elections
elections in which the stakes are highest, usually involving the possibility of a change of government
what are second-order elections
election in which the stakes are lower, such as local or mid terms elections
what is an electoral system
a general term for the rules governing an election, including the structure of the ballot, the electoral formula and districting
what is the electorla formula
how votes are converted to seats
what is the procedure of a single-member plurality system (SMP)
parties contest single-member districts, with the candidate winning the most votes (not necessarily a majority) winning the seat
what is the procedure for a two-round system
if no candidate wins a majority, the leading candidates face a second, runoff election. Used more often for exclusive elections.
what is the procedure for the alternative vote system
all candidates are ranked by voters. Anyone winning a majority of first preference votes is declared the winner, Failing this, the lowest-placed candidates are eliminated and their votes reassigned until one person ahs won a majority
what is the procedure for the list system
parties contest multi-member districts and public lists of candidates. Votes are cast for a party, and seats in the district are divided up among parties in proportion to their shares of the vote
what is the procedure for the Single Transferrable Vote (STV)
similar to AV in that voters rank candidates, but winners are determined by a quota based on a formula and a series of counts
what is the procedure of the parallel / mixed member majoritarian system
some seats are determined by PR and others by SMP or two-round elections. Effectively two separate elections
what is the procedure for the mixed member proportional system
Much like MMM except that PR seats are used to adjust the total share of seats
what is the single member plurality system
an electoral system based on districts that each have one representative, and in which the winner is the candidate with the most votes
what is proportional representation
an electoral system in which the number of seats won by each of the competing parties is proportional to the number of votes they each win
what is a mandate
a commission to act on another’s behalf in a specific area. An election mandate is an authorisation from the people for the government to follow a particular course
what are distribution requirements
rules specifying how a winning candidate’s votes must be arranged across different regions or social groups
what is a referendum
a vote of the electorate on a limited issue of public policy such as a constitutional amendment
what is the financial issue with referendums
they are expensive to organise and to hold
what is the issue with referendums being based on a yes/no choice
the issues at stake may be too complex
how can referendums polarise the electorate
they can create controversy and division
what must voters do to be effective at referendums
they must do their research
what can holding too many referendums lead to
voter apathy and can depress the voters, which can in turn lead to lower turnout
what is initiative
a procedure which allows citizens to initiate a popular vote on a given proposal (a referendum initiative) or to place it on the legislature’s agenda (an agenda initiative)
what is a recall
a popular vote on whether an elected official should be removed from office during normal tenure
what is ballot stuffing
a form of electoral fraud in which a person limited by law to a single vote is bale to cast multiple votes in a single booth or to vote in multiple locations
