Electoral System Flashcards

1
Q

what are the four main aims of electoral systems?

A
  1. Proportionality
  2. Effectiveness
  3. Simplicity
  4. Responsiveness
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2
Q

what is meant by proportionality when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

A

how proportional is the representation in this system?

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3
Q

what is meant by effectiveness when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

A

how effective is it in structuring a stable parliament and government?

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4
Q

what is meant by simplicity when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

A

is the system easy to understand for voters?

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5
Q

what is meant by responsiveness when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

A

how well does the system provide a link between MPs and citizens?

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6
Q

what are the two main types of electoral systems?

A
  1. majoritarian electoral systems
  2. proportional representation (PR) electoral systems
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7
Q

how do majoritarian electoral systems work?

A

elections take place in single member districts, and the winner takes all (requiring more than 50% of the votes)

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8
Q

how do proportional representation (PR) electoral systems work?

A

elections take place in multi-member districts, and the seats are allocated in proportion to the votes received

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9
Q

what are some example countries for majoritarian electoral systems?

A

France, Australia

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10
Q

what are some example countries for proportional representation (PR) electoral systems?

A

Netherlands, Belgium, Czechia

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11
Q

how do plurality electoral systems work?

A

voters vote for individual candidates, winning candidate needs more votes than any other single candidate

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12
Q

how do mixed electoral systems work?

A

voters vote for both individual candidates and party lists, it is a mix of PR and plurality districts

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13
Q

what are some example countries for plurality electoral systems?

A

United States, United Kingdom, Canada

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14
Q

what are some example countries for mixed electoral systems?

A

Japan, Hungary, Thailand

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15
Q

what are the four differences for the variety of proportional representation (PR) systems?

A
  1. Degree of choice of candidates
  2. Level of threshold (hurdle set in advance)
  3. District magnitude
  4. Formula for seat allocation
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16
Q

what is the relationship between district magnitude and proportionality?

A

the larger the districts are the more proportional election outcomes are

17
Q

what are the consequences of plurality and majoritarian electoral systems?

A

-disproportionality and underrepresentation of minority groups

HOWEVER

-stable party system and single-party governments

18
Q

what are the consequences of proportional representation (PR) electoral systems?

A

high levels of proportionality and better minority representation

HOWEVER

-party system fragmentation and government instability

19
Q

what is the Gallagher Index?

A

measures an electoral system’s relative disproportionality between votes received and seats in a legislature

20
Q

what is Duverger’s Law?

A

countries with a majoritarian electoral system have a two-party system due to mechanical effects and psychological effects

21
Q

what are the mechanical effects that Duverger’s Law talks about?

A

the two-party system tends to eliminate small parties

22
Q

what are the psychological effects that Duverger’s Law talks about?

A

the two-party system leads people to vote logically (so not small parties)

23
Q

are the mechanical and psychological effects of Duverger’s Law related?

A

yes, the psychological effects reinforce the mechanical effects

24
Q

why is it difficult for electoral systems to change?

A

because the constitutions protect them

25
what are the two types of manipulations that can drastically change how electoral systems operate?
-manipulating districts -manipulating legal thresholds
26
what are the two main ways of manipulating districts?
malapportionment and gerrymandering
27
what is malapportionment?
strategic imbalances in districts (two districts with very different populations have the same number of MPs)
28
what is gerrymandering?
-manipulating district boundaries to change the composition of voters -manipulating constituency boundaries to manufacture a majority vote for a candidate
29
what is a way to manipulate legal thresholds?
manipulating legal barriers (% of votes) to enter parliament