Comparative politics: elections and electoral systems Flashcards
1
Q
What are the common and distinctive features of majoritarian electoral system in the UK and USA
A
- Distinctive feature, the UK uses other electoral systems as well for non-Westminster elections
E.g. Scottish Parliament use the AMS. - Common feature, both nations use majoritarian systems that generally result in clear winners
E.g. since WW2, only the Conservatives and Labour have won elections in the UK
E.g. Congress and the Presidency have only ever had a Republican or Democrat majority - Distinctive feature, recent elections results from the UK have not necessarily resulted in a strong single-party government like in the US
E.g. the 2010-15 coalition government and a minority Conservative government after the 2017 election
2
Q
What are the common and distinctive features of two-party dominance in the UK and USA
A
- Common feature, both countries can win power or disproportionate share of the vote
E.g. in 2017 Conservatives won 42% of the overall vote but 49% of seats
E.g. in 2016 House elections, Republicans won 49% of the vote but 55% of seats - Distinctive feature, two-party dominance is considerably greater in the USA
E.g. the SNP and Plaid Cymru are significant forces in devolved assemblies
E.g. Lib Dems were a major presence before 2015 (coalition)
3
Q
What are the common and distinctive features of regularity of elections in the UK and USA?
A
- Common feature, both countries have regular fixed-term elections
E.g. the maximum length of a Parliament is 5 years, 2011 Fixed-Term Parliaments Act intends to prevent early elections
E.g. House members have a fixed 2 year term, Senators have 6 year term - Distinctive feature, in reality UK elections remain flexible
E.g. Theresa May called an early general election in 2017 and bypassed the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011. - Distinctive feature, elections for Congress are staggered
E.g. only a third of the Senate is up for elections at any one time. The 2 year term of the House means that control passes from one party to another during a president’s term
(creates divided gov which makes it harder for President to pass legislation)
4
Q
What are the common and distinctive features of the use of direct democracy in the UK and USA?
A
- Common feature, both countries make use of direct democracy such as referendums
E.g. Brexit 2016
E.g. in 2016 a measure in Alabama was voted on to alter the procedures for the impeachment of state officials - Distinct feature, US do not have national referendums, only at state level
E.g. California legalising cannabis - Distinct feature, direct democracy in the UK is only used for major constitutional issues
E.g. the 1997 devolution referendum.
5
Q
What are the common and distinctive features of the the focus of election campaigns in the UK and USA?
A
- Common feature, in both countries election campaigns are focused on the shortcomings of opponents
E.g. Trump’s campaign in 2016 was crude and personal, describing his opponent is ‘crooked Hillary’
E.g. May commented that Corbyn would be ‘alone and naked in the negotiation chamber’ in Brexit talks in her 2017 election campaign. - Distinctive feature, the level of personal attacks is harsher in the USA due to ‘attack ads’
E.g. in 2020 Trump’s Trojan Horse attack ad involving Bernie Sanders - Distinctive feature, there is less emphasis on the candidate in the UK
E.g. TV debates were only introduced in 2010, and May refused to participate in 2017, in the US they have existed since 1960.
6
Q
What are the similarities and differences between the two-party system in the UK and USA?
A
- Similar, both parties contain a range of views and could be described as internal coalitions
E.g. Conservative party contains traditional conservatives but also One-Nation Tories.
E.g. in the US there are conservative ‘Blue Dog’ democrats but also centrist ‘New Democrats’ - Different, there are different issues that cause divides within parties
E.g. the main split for the Tories until fairly recently was Brexit
E.g. the main split for Republicans is over immigration and gun control - Different, there are still differences between the major parties of the UK and US
E.g. The Conservative Party is more socially progressive than the Republicans on issues such as abortion and same sex marriage, and favour NHS unlike Republicans
E.g. Democrat Party is more moderate and centrist than Labour under Corbyn, evident from Corbyn’s plan to build vast numbers of social housing.
7
Q
How are third parties and independent candidates represented in the UK and US?
A
- Independents have been more prominent in the US than UK (reflects emphasis on candidate’s personality)
E.g. Ross Perot won 19% of the popular vote in 1992 - For third parties in the USA there is less opportunity for media appearances and televised debates
E.g. media and debates are heavily focused on the Republicans and Democrats
E.g. in the UK, party election broadcasts have been made by a range of third parties such as Lib Dems, Nick Clegg took part in the televised debates in 2010 - Third parties and independents in the USA have often been characterised as extremists, unlike those in the UK
E.g. ‘If you like Hitler, you’ll love Wallace’ jibe in 1968
E.g. UK third parties tend to be centrist, such as Lib Dems.
8
Q
What are the differences between UK and US party systems?
A
- The UK has a range of electoral systems for elections by which smaller parties can be elected, unlike the US which uses only majoritarian systems
E.g. Scottish Parliament are elected through the AMS - The main US parties allow a wider choice of leader
E.g. primary system in the US allows a choice between a range of candidates
E.g. in the UK main parties like the Conservatives only offer 2 candidates for the members to choose from - The cost of US elections makes it harder for new parties to emerge and develop compared to the UK
E.g. USSC decisions have weakened donation limits on large parties allowing them to outspend smaller ones
E.g. UK have spending limit of 30k per constituency
9
Q
What is the debate over party finance in the UK and US?
A
- The escalating cost of elections in the US compared to UK
E.g. $6billion in 2016 compared to £36million combined from Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem in 2017 - The undermining campaign finance reforms by Supreme Court judgements
E.g. Citizens United v FEC 2010 ruled that donations were free speech and therefore had to be uncapped for individuals and corporation - Too much money comes from interest groups
E.g. Trump received over 11 million dollars from the NRA
(gives disproportionate influence)
10
Q
What are the differences between campaign finance in the UK and USA?
A
- Campaign finance rules are much slacker in the USA than in the UK
E.g. US measures such as the Campaign Reform Act have been weakened by court judgements such as Citizens United v FEC 2010
E.g. UK, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act has not been challenged on anything of the same scale. - Campaign spending by both parties and candidates is more tightly regulated in the UK
E.g. parties can spend a maximum of 30k on each constituency - Pressure groups spend large amounts in US elections via PACs and Super PACS, such activity is more regulated in the UK
E.g. NRA donated 11 million to Trump
11
Q
What is the structural approach to the electoral and party systems?
A
- Parties in the US are much more decentralised and weaker than in the UK
E.g. Republicans are further to the right than Conservatives - There is a greater range of views within the two main American political parties
E.g. the democrat party contains fiscally conservative ‘Blue Dogs’ and centrist and socially liberal ‘New Democrats’. - The role of the USSC in shaping rules around campaign finance and how the 1st amendment is seen to seen to extend protected rights to corporations unlike the UK
E.g. Citizens United v FEC 2010
E.g. in the UK, Parliament controls Campaign finance laws.
12
Q
What is the rational approach to the electoral and party systems?
A
- The different types of voting system used in the UK and US
E.g. UK uses a pluralist voting system in Westminster but devolved bodies use different systems such as Scottish Parliament which uses AMS which has led to third parties such as Scottish Greens to gain significant seats
E.g. US uses a majoritarian system which means votes for third parties are wasted - The opportunity of ballot initiatives in the US makes this a campaign focus for many pressure groups
E.g. Christian Coalition of America campaigning for pro-life abortion laws - Individuals or groups can influence policies and elections in US by donating
E.g. NRA donating 11 million dollars to Trump
13
Q
What is the cultural approach to the electoral and party systems?
A
- The stronger tradition of third parties in the UK
E.g. Lib Dems - The longstanding involvement of US pressure groups in the political campaigning and political funding
E.g. NRA donating 11 million dollars to Trump - The much bigger scale of expenditure on elections in the US compared to the UK
E.g. $6billion in 2016 compared to £36million combined from Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem in 2017
14
Q
How can the rational theory be used to study direct democracy in the UK and US?
A
- Many US pressure groups are behind or at least get involved in ballot initiatives as an effective way to change and inform voters’ opinions, promote their cause and ultimately change laws. Pressure groups tend to be less involved in UK referendums because the subject is purely constitutional. However, the EU referendum did see strong involvement by groups on both sides,
E.g. Christians for Britain supporting Brexit - Pressure groups use a variety of methods to persuade voters, such as ads on social media
E.g. Greenpeace ads - Many pressure group campaigns appeal
to people’s strongest emotions in order to
influence them
E.g. religious and ethical values in local
votes over abortion laws in the USA, or
patriotism and ‘taking back control’ in the EU
referendum.
15
Q
‘Third parties are doomed to failure in the USA but not in the UK’. Analyse and evaluate this statement. [25]
A
- No, third parties are not that great a success in the UK where the electoral system used for Westminster heavily penalises them
E.g. Only one UKIP MP (Douglas Carswell) has ever been elected at a general election, even in 2015 when they won 3.9 million votes
Yes, other electoral systems are used in the UK, with proportional ones in some UK elections encouraging votes for third parties
E.g. Scottish Parliament use the AMS, the Scottish Labour party is a third party and won 22 seats, Scottish Greens won 7 seats
- No, the statement is true only if one disassociates failure from impact. While third parties may not often win elections in the USA, they can have a significant impact
E.g. Nader arguably helped Bush to win in 2000, Nader received 97k votes in Florida, and Gore lost by only 537 votes
Yes, third parties have had a more significant impact in the UK
E.g. UKIP won 2014 European Parliament elections made Conservatives fear that UKIP would take millions of votes from them in the next general election, resulting in a Labour victory. As a result, Cameron promised a referendum in the Conservative manifesto. Without UKIP’s electoral success, there would have been no referendum
- Yes, cost of campaigning is higher in the US so smaller parties struggle
E.g. donation limits have been weakened by USSC decisions such as Citizens United v FEC 2010
E.g. UK have donation limits of 30k per constituency
