Election Systems Flashcards
Where is FPTP used
General elections, London mayoral elections
Where is AMS used
Scotland and wales
What voting system is used in northern Ireland
STV
How does FPTP work
Voters vote for a candidate on a simple plurality (party with the most votes) and the party with the most candidates form government
How does AMS work
Voters vote for a constituency list and a regional list (one vote for a candidate one vote for a party)
How does STV work
Voters rank candidates in order of preference
Arguments for FPTP
-Produces strong single party government
-two party system provides a clear choice between two competing parties
- simple and voters understand it
- proportional systems provide extremists with a platform
-lack of public support to scrap FPTP (2011 AV referendum)
How many incorrectly filled out ballots in Scotland in 2007 (voters don’t understand system)
146,000
When has the NI government been suspended
2002-2007
2017-2020
2022-2024
Arguments against FPTP
-Disproportional (2024 Labour won 63% of seats on 39% of vote)
-leads to tactical voting
- proportional systems have worked in the devolved bodies
-other measures exist to protect against extremism eg London assembly 5% threshold
-FPTP undermines democratic principle of equal votes
Why has FPTP remained in use
It benefits the Tory and labour parties
How many defeats did the Coalition government face in the lords compared to the commons
100 in lords, 6 in commons
Evaluate the view that the procedures for electing US presidents and members of congress are not fit for purpose
1)electoral college means presidents can win without winning popular vote
Eg Clinton 2016 had 2.5 million more votes than trump but still lost
VS
This is a rare occasion, 19 out of last 25 elections have returned a winner of the popular vote
2)money- In (71%) U.S. Senate races in 2020 the candidate that outspent their opponent won.in most presidential races the candidate who spends most wins
Vs
It is possible to win without spending the s most eg trump 2016. Congressional elections may come down more to other factors such as incumbency rates over 90% in the senate and over 80% in the house
3) primaries and caucus voters are unrepresentative of population so lead to more extreme and inappropriate candidates eg Herschel walker or Bernie sanders/ AOC
Primaries and caucuses benefit democracy by allowing people to have a say in which candidates are selected, rather than them being selected by the ‘party elite’
