Different Electoral Systems Flashcards
What are the three different types of voting systems used in the UK?
Majoritarian, plurality and proportional
Which voting systems are likely to produce a two-party system?
Majoritarian and plurality
What is needed to win in a majoritarian voting system?
Over 50%
What is an example of a majoritarian voting system?
SV (supplementary vote)
What is required to win in a plurality voting system?
The most votes
What is an example of a plurality voting system?
FPTP
What is required to win in a proportional voting system?
Proportional voting systems allocate seats proportionately to the % of votes gained by a party.
What is an example of a proportional voting system?
AMS (additional member system) and STV (single transferable vote)
What three things have happened in the 21st century to make the results of elections more disproportionate?
Increase in the number of safe seats
More votes for minor parties
Many governments have also lacked a strong majority
What does AMS stand for?
Additional member system
Where is AMS used?
Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections
What happens in the AMS system?
Voters cast two votes: one for their local representative and one for their regional representative. In the constituency vote, voters vote for a person, and in the regional vote, they vote for a party.
What is the formula for deciding who wins regional seats?
Number of regional votes gained for a party
(Over, as a fraction)
Number of seats the party has gained +1
What does STV stand for?
Single transferable vote
Where is STV used?
Northern Irish Assembly elections
STV is the only system in the UK to use __________ ________.
Ordinal voting (where voters rank candidates in order of preference)
What must the candidates achieve to win?
The ‘droop quota’
What is the formula for the ‘droop quota’
Number of valid votes cast in a region
(Over, as a fraction)
Number of seats available in a region +1
Then it all in brackets +1
How are seats allocated in STV?
Every candidate who achieves the droop quota is automatically given a seat. Any additional votes they have received are given to the second preferences.
What happens if there are more seats left and nobody has achieved the droop quota (in STV)?
The least voted for candidate will be eliminated and their votes will be redistributed.
Where has SV been used since 2000?
The elections of the mayor of London
What does SV stand for?
Supplementary vote
What type of voting system is SV?
Majoritarian
How are seats allocated in SV?
Voters can select their first and second preferences. The first preference votes are counted. If one candidate has a majority, they win. If no candidates have won a majority, every candidate apart from the top two are eliminated and their votes are redistributed. One candidate must then have won a majority. They win.
