Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Smithy Politics A-Level > Elections > Flashcards

Elections Flashcards

1
Q

What 5 functions do elections have in the UK?

A
  1. Representation
  2. Choosing a government
  3. Participation
  4. Citizenship education
  5. Accountability
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Name 3 different types of voting systems

A
  1. Plurality
  2. Majoritarian
  3. Proportional Representation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is a plurality system?

A

The party with the most votes wins

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a majoritarian system?

A

A party must have at least 50% of the votes to win

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is a proportional representation system?

A

The parties should proportionally represent the distribution of the votes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How do you win with a plurality?

A

You win one more vote than your opponent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How many seats do you need to form a government

A

You need 326 seats (325 +1) in order to form a majority

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How do parties enforce voting?

A

The party whip system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Who won the 1997 General Election?

A

Labour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How many seats did the 1997 Government have?

A

418 Seats (Tony Blair)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Who won the 2010 General Election?

A

No one… (coalition of Conservative and Lib Dem’s)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How many seats did the Tory-Lib Dem coalition win in 2010?

A

306 (David Cameron) + 62 (Nick Clegg)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are 4 negatives of a first past the post system?

A
  1. Smaller parties do not get represented proportionally
  2. Larger parties get represented disproportionately
  3. Votes are wasted as any votes not for the winning party, or in surplus of the winner’s requirements are wasted
  4. Tactical voting occurs
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Give an example of a smaller party being represented disproportionally in FPTP

A

In 2019 67 seats were won by a majority of 5% or less

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Give an example of a larger party being represented disproportionately in FPTP

A

In 2005 Labour won 35% of the vote and 55% of the seats

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are 3 strengths of FPTP

A
  1. It produces a majority government, avoiding coalition governments, allowing for strong governments that can easily pass legislation
  2. It prevents radical parties coming to power
  3. It is a simple and easily understandable system
17
Q

Give an example of a strong government

A

Blair 1997 won 418 seats

18
Q

Give an example of extremist parties finding it hard to find seats

A

BNP got 500,000 votes and 0 seats

19
Q

Give 2 Majoritarian voting systems

A
  1. Alternative Vote
  2. Supplementary vote
20
Q

Give 2 Proportional Voting Systems

A
  • Single Transferable vote
  • Additional Member system
21
Q

Give an example of an SV election

A
  • In the 2016 London Mayoral election Sadiq Khan won the first round with a plurality of 44.2% (which was not a majority) thus a second round of counting took place
  • All the 2nd preference votes apart from Khan and Goldsmith’s were added on
  • This gave Khan a majority of 56% - enough to win the election
  • Ever since the first London mayoral election (2000) no one has won a majority off of the first round of counting
22
Q

Give an example of an AV election

A
  • Labour leadership election
  • Each round the bottom candidate’s votes are eliminated, and their second votes are added onto the remaining candidates
23
Q

Give 3 advantages of a majoritarian system

A
  1. There is greater legitimacy
  2. The electors are better represented by the outcome
  3. There are less wasted votes
24
Q

Give 3 disadvantages of the majoritarian system

A
  1. The system is not proportional - sometimes less proportional than FPTP
  2. It could be that the candidate with the most first preference votes actually ends up losing
  3. Tactical voting is still used with second preference votes
25
Q

How does Single Transferable Vote work?

A
  • Candidates are ranked in order of preference
  • If a candidate has more number 1 votes than the quota they are elected
  • Any votes over the amount required for the quota are transferred to the voter’s second choice
  • If no one reaches the quota, the least popular candidate is eliminated and the votes of the people who voted for them are transferred to their second preference
  • This process continues until every vote is used ‘
  • Once all the votes are counted, every candidate who reached the quota is elected
26
Q

Name 3 benefits of Single Transferable Vote?

A
  • Greater representation
  • More voter choice
  • It works well in Northern Ireland as it prevents one party from completely controlling parliament
27
Q

Name 3 negatives of Single Transferable Vote?

A
  • It is very complicated
  • Constituencies are large which means there is less local representation
  • It would not work well in England as broad coalitions would be required
28
Q

Give an example of where Single Transferable Vote is used?

A

Northern Irish Assembly

29
Q

How does Additional Member System Work?

A
  • Voters are given 2 ballot papers
  • On the first ballot paper voters vote for an individual FPTP candidate
  • On the second ballot paper voters vote for a specific party that they want to win seats
  • The FPTP seats are then assigned, and additional members are added from the party list to receive their fair share of representation in parliament
30
Q

Name 3 benefits of AMS

A
  • Greater proportionality
  • Helps smaller parties have a greater say and win more votes, as voters are no longer concerned that their votes will be wasted since parties are guaranteed their percentage on the second ballot
  • Voters are able to vote for more specific candidates that they agree with, and then can aid their prefered party by voting for them in the party list
31
Q

Name 3 negatives of AMS

A
  1. It is complicated and may result in lower turnouts
  2. Voters have less of a say of the individual members of parliament as they cannot choose the politicians on the party list which creates less accountability
  3. It creates two classes of MPs which may induce tensions
32
Q

List 5 factors that affect voting behaviour in order of importance

A
  1. Age
  2. Ethnicity
  3. Location
  4. Class
  5. Gender
33
Q

How does age affect voting behaviour?

A
  • Younger people tend to be more left wing whereas older people tend to be more right wing
  • As age increases by 10 years, the likelihood that an individual would vote Conservative increases by 9 points
  • In the 2015 GE, in the 70+ age bracket 69% of the vote went Tory, and in the 18-19 age bracket 66% went Labour
  • 47 is the age which voters are mostly likely to move their support from Labour to Conservative
34
Q

How does ethnicity affect voting behaviour?

A
  • White people lean more right, ethnic minorities lean more left
  • 2015 GE UKIP received 14% of the white vote and 2% of the minority vote - Labour received 65% of the minority vote

Smithy Politics A-Level (5 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions