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Politics > Elections > Flashcards

Elections Flashcards

1
Q

define electionss

A

a means by which citizens can select public officials by casting votes. elections are key features of the democratic state.

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2
Q

4 things uk democratic elections are based on

A

universal adult suffrage
one person, one vote
secret ballot
competition between candidates and parties

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3
Q

which are the main elections in the uk and how often are they held

A

general elections every 5 years
devolved assembly elections every 4 years
european parliament elections every 5 years
local elections every 4/5 years

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4
Q

5 functions of elections

A 
representation
legitimacy
hold government to account 
education
participation
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5
Q

representation as a functions of elections explained

A

people select their representative - eg MP

parties want to represent the electorate

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6
Q

legitimacy as a functions of elections explained

A

by voting we give popular support to a candidate / individual granting them a legitimate mandate to carry out their policies and exercise power

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7
Q

accountability as a functions of elections explained

A

at elections we hold the previous government and individual MPs (etc.) to account and either remove them from their position or maintain their position

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8
Q

education as a functions of elections explained

A

electorate become informed of the issues of the day in order to make an informed choice
increased media campaigns for example

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9
Q

participation as a functions of elections explained

A

main function?

elections offer a cancel for universal participation in our democratic system

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10
Q

7 reasons elections in the uk are democratic

A

elections provide choice
all citizens have an equal input (one person one vote)
elections are the best mechanism for democracy
all can stand for elections (all you need is a refundable deposit)
many see uk elections as fair (we rejected AV at 2011 referendum)
there is freedom of expression and education on policies at elections
there is a wide range of choice at elections

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11
Q

7 reasons elections in the uk are undemocratic

A

offer is limited (only mainstream parties are usually considered / have significant funding)
not all votes are equal (marginal seat vs safe seat) [eg: 130 seats out of 650 are marginal, Wirral West = labour - conservative marginal]

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12
Q

how many different types of electoral system do we use in the uk?

A

5

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13
Q

list the 5 electoral systems used in the uk

A 
FPTP
AMS
STV
party list
SV
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14
Q

where is FPTP used

A

Hof C

local elections in england and wales

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15
Q

where is AMS used

A

scottish parliament
welsh assembly
GLA
(3 devolved assemblies)

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16
Q

where is STV used

A

NI assembly

local elections in NI and Scotland

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17
Q

party list

A

european parliament

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18
Q

where is SV used

A

london mayor elections

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19
Q

FPTP how it works

A

plural system
voters select a single candidate on their ballot paper. there is no order of preference
then once the voting is closed, the ballots are added up and the candidate with the most number of votes wins the seat. this does not need to be 50% of the vote
eg: Wirral West
labour = 45.1% of vote 18,898
conservative = 44.2% of vote 18,481
then gov is selected by seats. need 326

20
Q

advantages of FPTP

A

easy to understand and operate
delivers strong gov (apart from 1974 and 2010)
strong link between constituency and MP

21
Q

disadvantages of FPTP

A

favors parties who have electoral support in geographically concentrated areas
most MPs do not have a majority of support (eg more people voted against them than voted for them)
government are usually voted in without winning a majority of the popular vote
distorts result in favour of large parties
not proportional
small parties discriminated against
large number of votes wasted
encourages tactical voting
participation low

22
Q

define majoritarian system

A

an electoral system under which the winning candidate must attract a majority of the votes cast in a constituency

23
Q

define proportional electoral system

A

an electoral system that seeks to apportion seats in a legislature in broad percentage to the popular vote won by each political party

24
Q

examples of majoritarian systems of elections

A

FPTP
SV
(AV)

25
Q

examples of proportional systems of elections

A

STV
AMS
party list

26
Q

how SV works

A

voters are given two votes (a first and second preference)
if a candidate wins +50% then elected, if not all candidates drop out leaving top two candidates
second preferences redistributed
the winner will now achieve a majority

27
Q

impact of SV

A

winner will have majority of vote (including second preferences)

28
Q

positives of SV

A 
simpler than av
strength as winner must have 50% support
reduces number of wasted votes
split preferences (you can vote twice)
still maintains link between constituents and their representative
29
Q

negatives of sv

A

turnout very low where used
winning candidate can still lack legitimacy as won with second choices
complicated
emphasizing to make second vote count encourages voters to support main parties (and no their preferred second choice smaller party candidate) = tactical voting

30
Q

AV how it works

A

country divided into constituencies
candidates put as many candidates as they like in order of preference
then once have 50% = won (so bottom candidate drops out each time and their vote distributed)
how miliband won on fourth vote with questionable legitimacy

31
Q

AMS how it works

A

2/3 seats elected by fptp
1/3 elected by regional list system (but they are not in proportional to votes cast but distorted in favour of those parties that have been most disadvantaged in the constituency by fptp called differential top-up system)

32
Q

impact of AMS

A

two types of representation
increased voter choice
enables smaller parties to win some seats
approximately proportional result in total
tended to produce coalition governments (until 2011 = SNP majority in scottish parliament and labour won exactly half of seats in welsh assembly)

33
Q

positives of AMS

A

voters get 2 choices
can split voting preference
3rd parties benefit from 2nd vote
2nd parties also benefit when they have done less well in fptp
PL prodicess additional members on a multi member constituency
coalition likely
but if enough support majority government possible (post 2011)

34
Q

disadvantages of AMS

A

multi member candidates are hard to remove
fptp members are vulnerable
multi members have no close link to their constituents
doesnt create or support a multi party system in practice

35
Q

how does stv work?

A

multi member constituencies
votes place candidates in order of preference
each party produces a list of up to 6 candidates (in practice the list is around 3 members long)
electoral quota calculated = ( total no votes cast / number of seats to be filled +1 ) +1
candidate who fills quota with first preference then the surplus votes from those candidates are redistributed based on second preferences the process continues until 6 candidates have achieved the quota

36
Q

impact of STV

A

power sharing executive where multiple parties participate in government

37
Q

positives of STV

A

no need for tactical voting
parties have to form power sharing executives (perfect in places like NI where there are such strong social divides)
competition from candidates from the same party (judged on individual record and personal strengths)
relatively proportional to votes cast
small parties benefit
choice of members whom constituents can take
their grievances to

38
Q

disadvantages of STV

A

degree of proportionality will change from one election to the next
strong, stable government unlikely = coalitions
breaks link between single member and their constituents
less accurate at translating votes into seats
multi member constituencies are divisive encouraging competition among st members from the same party

39
Q

how closed regional list (party list) works

A

country divided into regions
each party creates a list of candidates for each region in order of the parties preference
voters select a party to support (and their list)
seats are awarded in direct proportion to votes cast
winning candidates represent a region rather than a constituency

40
Q

impact of PL

A

multi party system creating coalitions

41
Q

positives of pl

A

proportional
votes are equal weight
encourages smaller parties eg ukip
no 2 party dominance

42
Q

disadvantages of pl

A

constituency weak link
chose parties not people
parties chose the list
small parties hold too much power

43
Q

party system defintion

A

a measure of competition between parties in a given country. it is a description of a political system indicating approximately how many political parties gain significant representation

44
Q

why we should NOT reform fptp

A 
simple to use
quick to count
keeps out extremist parties
keeps a constituency link
produces strong government
produces a stable government
clear accountability
reflects broad popular movements
poor alternatives
no demand for change
45
Q

why we SHOULD reform fptp

A 
lack of legitimacy (MPs and government)
unfair to small [parties
bias to large parties
bias to labour
may 2010 proves strong stable government argument wrong
wasted votes
safe seats = electoral deserts
poor social representation

Politics (7 decks)

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