Elections and Referendums Flashcards
Practice Questions, Electoral Systems and Elections
What kinds of elections are there?
General Elections, Devolved Assembly Elections and Local Elections
Do elections enhance or hinder UK democracy? (30)
FORM GOVERNMENTS
+: Elections help transfer power in a stable and legitimate way. GEs are usually clear indicators and unwanted governments are removed quite easily (2024 GE - removal of Cons)
-: They don’t always succesfully form a government. FPTP struggles to find a single ‘winning’ party. E.g. 2010 election resulted in a coalition between the Cons and Lib Dems.
REPRESENTATION:
+: Elections are a channel of communication between government and the people. Elections provide the electorate with the opportunity to choose who they believe will represent their principles in parliament. Electorate can remove who they don’t want to represent them anymore (1997 Blair landslide)
-: Questions have been raised about the effectivness of elections in ensuring legitiamte representation. A result of FPTP. 2024 GE - 411 Lab seat but 33% of total vote
EDUCATION:
+: Elections serve as a way for the public to educate themselves and vote in the way they see fit. Through the manifestos of the different parties and TV debates where new and old policies are discussed and explained. They inform the electorate on current issues.
(2024 GE TV Debate - discussed current affairs such as immigration and economy and tax).
-: Elections can also mislead and miseducate the public. E.g. NHS Bus or ‘Get Brexit Done’ slogan. Undermines the faith that the electorate has in their politicians and this can lower the turnout and the legitimacy of the election outcome.
Overall, NO.
What kinds of electoral system are there?
Non-proportional (plurality and majority systems) and proportional systems.
What is FPTP?
First Past the Post:
- Non-proportional
- Constituency system
- Voters select single candidate
- Simple plurality (only need one more than their nearest rival)
Is FPTP fit for purpose? (30)
+: Clear winner. Helps ensure governments can govern. It helps avoid coalition governments and allows for the elected party to fulfill its manifesto.
-: This is at the expense of of unrepresentative government. It favours the two main parties and provides them with a winner’s bonus. e..g 2024 GE and Reform UK’s seats (5 seats, not even 1%, yet 14.3% vote share). Many argue that parliament doesn’t represent that actual opinions of the electorate and elections should be legitimate through representation.
+:Because of the size of the population, the constituent/MP relationship is vital. It allows constituents to voice their opinions at ‘surgeries’ and these are then represented in parliament.
-: Other systems have this element too. e.g. SV ensures that they are elected by at least 50% of the constituents. This increases legitimacy and proportional representation. e.g. It is used in London Mayoral Elections.
+: It keeps out extremist parties by giving the larger parties a winner’s bonus. E.g. Reform UK and their seats in the 2024 election. 1997 Blair’s landslide victory and his bonus.
-: Discriminates against ALL small parties such as green party and lib dems. There is disproportionality and unfairness. (2015 GE: UKIP - 12% yet 1 seat). The two party dominance created by FPTP makes it hard for smaller parties to succeed and the “choice” that the electorate has is really just an illusion.
+: Easy to understand. People know how it works. It is easy to produce a result efficiently and quickly. All the votes are counted in a night. In 2017, the results of Newcastle Central were declared 59 minutes after the polls closed.
-: Just because it’s easier doesn’t mean its better.
What was the turnout of the 2024 election? What was the outcome? How proportional was it?
60% Turnout
Labour Majority - 411 seats (63%) but 33% vote share
Reform UK received 15% vote share but only 5 seats. Not proportional.
What are the features of the SV system?
- non-proportional
- single-member constituencies
- electors have two votes
- winning candidates must achieve over 50% of ALL votes cast
What are the advantages of SV?
+ Simple to understand
+ Maintains traditional links between MPs and constituents.
+ Results are more proportional than FPTP
What are the disadvantages of SV?
- For a candidate to succeed, they must the first choice of a substantial amount of voters. Therefore if the lib dems or Greens were everybody’s second choice, it would do them no good.
- It is difficult to vote tactically. If there are more than two strong candidates, voters must guess who will make the final round, otherwise their second preference vote will be wasted.
- Doesn’t produce very proportional results and would still underrepresent small parties.
Where has SV been used in the UK?
Mayor of London elections and Police and Crime Commissioners.
What are the features of the AMS system?
- made up of both constituency and party-list elements
- a proportion of seats are filled using FPTP and single member constituencies and the remaining seats are filled using a ‘closed’ party-list system.
- Electors cast two votes: one for a candidate in a constituency and the other for a party in a list election.
Where has AMS been used?
Scottish Parliament -
What are the advantages of AMS?
- Balances the need for constituency representation and the need for electoral fairness
- Although the system is broadly proportional, it still maintains a chance of a single-party government.
-It allows voters to make a wider, more considered choice.
What are the disadvantages of AMS?
- The retention of single-member constituencies reduces the likelihood of high levels of proportionality
- It can be confusing.
What are the features of STV?
- Multimember constituencies
- Political Parties are able to put up as many candidates as there are seats to fill in each constituency
- Candidates are elected if they achieve a quota determined by the Droop Formula
Where is STV used?
In the Northern Irish Assembly
What are the advantages of STV?
- Capable of achieving highly proportional outcomes.
- Gives voters more choice than any other system, which makes the result more legitimate
- Fewer votes are ‘wasted’
- There is no need for tactical voting
What are the disadvantages of STV?
- Strong and stable single-party gov is unlikely
- Multi-member constituencies may be divisive and can cause competition within the same party.
- The process of counting results takes much longer meaning that the results cannot usually be counted on the same day or the day after.
- There may be no tactical voting but it means there can be donkey voting.
Evaluate the view that the performance of other electoral systems in the UK has made the case for replacing FPTP for Westminster elections (30)
What is a referendum?
A vote in which the electorate can express a view on a particular issue of public policy.
What are some examples of referendums held in the UK?
Scottish IndyRef 2014
EU Ref 2016
Evaluate the view that referendums should be used more in the UK’s representative democracy (30)
+ They enable the electorate to decide on a specific issue that directly
- They undermine the authority of parliament and the fact they were voted by the people to solve these problems.
Cameron didn’t want to leave the EU but the ref said otherwise which led to his resignation.
+ Allow for a more educated electorate. They inform themselves better. There is a stronger incentive to think and act politically when their vote will directly affect the result.
- campaigns are misleading and oversimplify. In an age of media, there is a lot of misinformation that isn’t filtered. The LEAVE BUS.
+Promote participation and everyone has an equal voice
- Too regular use of refs can cause fatigue. Switzerland and their average turnout
+ can solve longstanding constitutional problems
- sometimes questions are asked more than once until they get the “right” answer.
overall: NO
