electoral systems

Question 1

what is a majoritarian electoral system?

Answer 1

one which only needs 50% + 1 vote to win meaning the government must have an absolute majority of votes. an example of this system would be supplementary vote used in london mayor elections

Question 2

what is a plurality system?

Answer 2

this is where the winner only needs 1 more vote than second place. for example, this is used in FPTP in the UK as the MP only needs a plurality of votes to win the constituency

Question 3

what is a proportional system?

Answer 3

this is where the % of votes casted to a party represents the % of seats they will receive or close to. this is used in NI local elections

Question 4

what are the arguments for using FPTP?

Answer 4

• it is simple and easy to understand - voters simply vote for who they want to win and whoever receives the most votes wins in the constituency.
• there are clear outcomes - whichever party receives the most votes often wins
• strong and stable governments arise - only 1 post-war coalition, 1997 labour win 179 majority
• it keeps out extremist parties - UKIP received almost 4 million votes. in 2015 but only received 1 seat
• easily accountable as voters have a clear choice between governing party or someone else.
• Turnout is greatest out of any UK system at 65% average turnout
• people like it - 68% voted to keep in 2011

Question 5

what are the arguments against using FPTP?

Answer 5

• there are extremely disproportionate outcomes - parties with only 35% of the votes from the people who vote can win a majority - Lib Dems in 1983 received only 3.5% of the seats with 25% of the vote
• there are electoral deserts - places like the north east have around 1/3 of the vote for Con but only 10% of the seats meaning there is little representatnion in those parts of the country
• wasted votes - 50%. of all votes in 2015 went to losing candidates in constituency or one which wasnt needed for the candidate who won to win
• peoples votes in marginal seats like hartlepool are worth more than strongholds
• voters have to engage in tactical voting, as there is very little chance of a fringe party getting in.

Question 6

what is SV?

Answer 6

-the voters record their first and second preferences on the ballot paper and if no candidate wins a majority off first preference votes, all but the top two candidates are eliminated and second preferences are counted in

Question 7

what are the advantages of SV?

Answer 7

• the candidate must achieve broad support, giving them greater legitimacy
• supporters for smaller parties can still vote for their party and not have it wasted

Question 8

what are the disadvantages of SV?

Answer 8

• if voters don’t use their second choice effectively, the winner could end up winning without a majority
• the candidate does not need to get a majority of first preference votes meaning it is often the ‘least unpopular’ who wins
• the system would not generate a proportional outcome if used in general elections

Question 9

what is STV?

Answer 9

-used in NI, STV is where representatives are elected in large multi-member constituencies. voters vote for as many candidates as they want, ordering them from first preference and then second preference and so on. candidates must receive a quota to gain a seat, and when they do, they receive a seat. if no one receives a quota in a round, the bottom candidate is eliminated and their second preferences are counted in

Question 10

what are the advantages of STV?

Answer 10

• it delivers proportional outcomes - NI - in 2017, the assembly elections the largest difference between share of vote and share of seats was 3%
• the government is likely to consist of a party or group of parties which receives over 50% of the vote
• there is greater choice as they can vote for a range of candidates
• highest number of effective electoral parties (5.2 average compared to FPTP 3.4
• average deviation from proportionality is 7.1% compared to FPTP 20.6%

Question 11

what are the disadvantages of STV?

Answer 11

• larger, multi-member constituencies can have a weaker link between representative and their constituency
• it is likely to produce a coalition govt (4/6 election)
• counting process is lengthy and complex

Question 12

what is AMS?

Answer 12

-used in the scottish parliament and welsh assembly and london assembly AMS is where a proportion of seats are elected using FPTP in single member constituencies (57% of the scottish parliament are in single member constituencies). a smaller number of representatives, known as additional members are then elected using PR. electors cast two votes, one for single member, and one for multi-member constituency.

Question 13

advantages of AMS?

Answer 13

• it combines the best features of FPTP (constituency link) and PR (more proportional)
• votes are less likely to be wasted
• voters have greater choice as they are allowed to vote for different parties in each of their votes
• increases represntation of women in politics
• votes are easy to count

Question 14

Disadvantages of AMS?

Answer 14

• it creates two classes of MPs, one with constituency duties and one without, creating tensions in legislative process
• voters cannot choose indiviudual candidates in the regional list
• proportional outcomes are unlikely where the number of additional members are low e.g., wales
• turnout is the lowest out of any UK system (43% in wales mean)