Elections & referendums Flashcards
1
Q
Define Popular sovereignty
A
Decisions are made directly by the electorate of the nation.
2
Q
Three functions of referendums?
A
- Legitimise Changes e.g. Devolution
- Avoid committing to policy ideas, therefore the govt will not be accountable for failed changes e.g. Labour pushed for an EU referendum so that they didn’t have to make a decision.
- Settle divisions e.g. Cameron called EU referendum with hope of ending long-standing party divisions.
3
Q
Three impacts of referendums?
A
- Influence the outcome of elections e.g. following the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum, the SNP gained 56 seats and a boost in membership.
- Lack of trust e.g. 2016: Treasury’s miscalculation of the economic consequences of the 2016 referendum.
- Create conventions, a referendum sets precedent for the future e.g. Scotland Act 2016: Devolution cannot be reversed without a referendum.
4
Q
How do referendums enhance democracy?
A
- Impetus for change e.g. 80% of Parliament wanted to remain yet 51% of the population wanted to leave.
- Increases Participation e.g. turnout in the 2014 Scottish Referendum was 85% compared to 2016 General Election’s 66%
- Educate the electorate: AV referendum and the Lib Dems encouraged greater understanding of FPTP/ electoral systems.
5
Q
How do referendums undermine democracy?
A
- Subvert/ undermines Parliamentary Sovereignty e.g. the Brexit vote to leave was wanted by 51% of the electorate but only 20% of MPs.
- Apathetic of changes (tyranny of the majority) e.g. 1997 Welsh Referendum: The Senedd was created by a mandate of 25% of the total population.
- Becomes a contest e.g. Brexit MPs like to sway the electorate
6
Q
Identify the 6 electoral systems used in the UK
A
- FPTP
- Supplementary Vote
- STV
- Party List
- AMS
- AV
7
Q
How does the Supplementary Vote system work and where is it used?
A
- Elects a single winner, in which the voter ranks the candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives an absolute majority then all but the top two candidates are eliminated and the vote continues to a second round.
- Used at mayoral and police & crime commissioner elections.
8
Q
How does the Single Transferable Vote system work and where is it used?
A
- Is a multi-winner system in which each voter casts a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate preferences if their preferred candidate is eliminated or elected with surplus votes, so that their vote is used to elect someone they prefer over others in the running.
- Used in Northern Ireland Assembly elections.
9
Q
How does the Alternative Vote system work and where is it used?
A
- Voters rank the candidates in order of preference, ballots are initially counted for each voter’s top choice. If a candidate has more than half of the first-choice votes, that candidate wins. If not, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and the voters who selected the defeated candidate as a first choice then have their votes added to the totals of their next choice. This process continues until a candidate has more than half of the votes
- Used in Labour Party leadership elections.
10
Q
How does the Party List system work and where is it used?
A
- Parties make lists of candidates to be elected, and seats are distributed by elections authorities to each party in proportion to the number of votes the party received.
- Open and Closed list refers to whether or not it is pre-determined which candidate will be allocated specific seats.
- Used at European Parliament elections.
11
Q
How does the Additional Member System work and where is it used?
A
- Each voter casts two votes: A vote for a candidate, and a vote for a party list.The first vote is used to elect a member from their constituency under the FPTP system. The second vote is used to determine how many additional seats a party may get. Parties receive additional seats to match the voting percentages which they received, making the legislature more representative of voters’ preferences.
- Used in Scottish and Welsh Parliament elections.
12
Q
Give three disadvantages of FPTP:
A
- Wasted votes/ tactical voting e.g. 2015: 50% of votes went to a losing candidate.
- Third Parties underrepresented e.g. 2015: Lib Dems won 23% of the vote yet only 9% of seats.
- Safe Seats e.g. 2010: 66% of MPs didn’t receive 50% of the vote in their constituency.
13
Q
Give three advantages of FPTP:
A
- Marginalises extremist parties e.g. 2015: 3.9million votes for UKIP = 1 seat.
- Limited chance of a coalition occuring e.g. only 1 since WW2 (2010).
- Strong majority govts e.g. 1983, 1997, 2019.
14
Q
Give an advantage and disadvantage of AMS:
A
- Combines the best elements of FPTP (constituency desirability) with PR (fairness of outcomes).
- Creates two ‘classes of MPs’: Some rep constituencies whilst others rep regions. Leads to conflicting interests on small/ large scale.
15
Q
Give an advantage and disadvantage of STV:
A
- Votes to smaller parties/ candidates aren’t wasted.
- Weak link between constituents and reps. Leads to lack of accountability.
