comparing elections and electoral systems Flashcards
structural similarities between US and UK:
-both put limits on their terms of office for elected legislators
-both directly elect their national legislatures and local gov.s
-devolution has arguably created a quasi-federal system in the UK, therefore is getting more similar to the US’ federal system
-both use plurality systems, and both use FPTP for their legislatures
structural differences between US and UK:
-UK MPs have five years in office whereas representatives are reelected every 2 years in the midterms, which creates a culture of constant campaigning
-there’s no limit on how long a PM can serve e.g. Blair was PM for over 10 years, whereas in US they can only serve two full terms
-there’s much greater variety in the use of electoral systems in the UK due to devolution e.g. they use AMS in Scotland
-the use of proportional systems un the devolved assemblies of the UK has led to more coalition governments, which they’ve never had in the US
rational similarities between US and UK:
-both countries had policies for natural supporters e.g. on the right stricter controls on immigration
-both have an increasing use of social media to target core voters and increase aupport, which has led to the personalisation of politics and less focus on the parties themselves
-both focus on the personal strengths of the leader e.g. Trump as a business tycoon, which has led to leaders almost creating their own factions reg. MAGA, Blairites
-in the UK and US there’s a focus on campaigning in swing areas e.g. the midwest rust belt for 2024
rational differences between US and UK:
-in the UK the focus is on winning elections to form a government, with there being relatively few other opportunities to vote on a national level apart from when there’s a referendum, whereas in the US there are midterms every two years AND they don’t use referendums
-in the UK televised debates are used to promote party policies whereas in the US the debates are more personal
-personal politics tends to be more aggressive in the US
cultural similarities between US and UK:
-key policies in the US and UK are strongly associated with individuals over time e.g. Boris Johnson’s ‘Get Brexit Done’, Trump’s ‘make america great again;
-democratic processes in both the US and UK allow for some public participation in the selection of candidates
-in the US and UK the youth vote favours more left leaning parties
-in the US and UK ethnic minorities are more likely to vote left
-in the US and UK there has been a shift in the voting behaviour of the educated middle class, with them now being more likely to vote left parties
cultural differences between US and UK:
-the presidential system in the US puts much more focus on the individual
-the use of TV debates is more embedded in America’s political culture, but has only become a regular thing in the UK since 2010
-in the UK it’s only party members that habe any say in the selecgtion of candidates, whereas in the US primaries and caucuses allow for ordinary voters to be involved in the candidate selection, which might reflect the historic origins of early republican town hall meetings
-in the US religion plays a much more significant role in voting, with the ‘christian right’ supporting more socially conservative policies
