Democracy, electoral systems in the UK

Question 1

FPTP

Answer 1

• used to elect Mp’s to the UK parliament
• Fair, it can produce coalitions
• not complex
• no real choice in some constituencies are their are safe seats
• representative as parliament is the most diverse yet

Question 2

STV

Answer 2

• used to elect local councillors
• voters choose candidates in order of preference
• candidates must reach a quota to win a seat
• complex, may confuse voters for who to contact as each ward elects 3 councillors
• provides good choice
• representative in theory

Question 3

AMS advantages

Answer 3

• used to elect scottish parliament MPs, there are 73 constituency MSPs
• includes a constituency vote, and one for a party on a regional list
• no votes are wasted
• voters gain a wide range of MSPs of whom they can consult

Question 4

AMS disadvantages

Answer 4

• AMS is not wholly proportional, for example, 2016 the SNP polled around 44% of the vote but returned 49% of the MSPs
• AMS is more likely to result in a coalition government

Question 5

FPTP disadvantages

Answer 5

-in 2015 the Conservatives only got 36.7% of the vote but received 51% of the MPs.
-Voters in safe seats may feel their vote is wasted
It is possible that the majority of a constituency’s electorate did not vote for the winning candidate.

Question 6

STV disadvantages

Answer 6

• three or four councillors are elected per ward constituents may be confused as to which representative to consult
• STV as a voting system is more complex and there is some evidence that voters may be put off voting or may not understand the ballot paper.