Electoral systems

Question 1

What kind of system is the FPTP system

Answer 1

Plurality system where the candidate with the most vote wins however they don’t have to pass a certain majority

Question 2

How many constituencies are in the UK

Answer 2

650

Question 3

What type of government does FPTP usually lead to

Answer 3

a government with a majority in parliament

Question 4

What is a downside to FTPT - Parties

Answer 4

leads to a two party system

Question 5

What is a positive of FTPT within constituencies

Answer 5

it ensures strong representation with small constituencies

Question 6

Minor parties often loose out on representation in a FPTP system why is this

Answer 6

they are thinly spread support whereas parties with concentrated support win

Question 7

In the 2017 election what minor parties lost out and how does this show that FPTP dopes not give them representation

Answer 7

Liberal Democrats won over 7% of the vote but under 2% of seats in Parliament.
UKIP won 600,000 votes but no seats.

Question 8

How did the 2015 election show that concentration of support matters in FPTP

Answer 8

the SNP’s 1.4 million votes were highly concentrated in Scotland and translated into 56 seats whilst UKIP’s 3.8 million votes translated into 1 seat.

Question 9

are votes wasted in FPTP

Answer 9

Yes because a minority of voters will win the election

Question 10

An example of votes being wasted in FPTP

Answer 10

North East Fife Constituency saw 67% of votes wasted for losing candidates with the SNP winning the constituency by a majority of 2 votes.

Question 11

How might a government mandate be weakened in FPTP

Answer 11

Governments are usually elected with a minority of the popular vote

Question 12

What does STV stand for

Answer 12

Single Transferable Vote

Question 13

How does STV work (ballot paper)

Answer 13

Voters number their choice of candidate in order of preference

Question 14

What formula is used to calculate STV

Answer 14

Droop formular

Question 15

What does having multi-member constituencies offer

Answer 15

large choice of candidates

Question 16

give an example of how there can be more than one candidate from the same party in STV

Answer 16

In the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election, in the Belfast East constituency. DUP had 3 candidates and Alliance had 2 candidates standing

Question 17

Positive of STV - campaigning

Answer 17

Leads to positive campaigning because they have to work for transfer votes

Question 18

How is STV more proportional than FPTP

Answer 18

parties with distributed support can win seats

Question 19

Why are less votes wasted in STV

Answer 19

their second choice votes can be transferred to another candidate if their first choice is eliminated

Question 20

How does STV damage the link between representatives

Answer 20

there are many members in one constituency - In the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, there are 5 members representing each constituency

Question 21

What is donkey voting

Answer 21

Rank in order they appear on ballot paper

Question 22

What sort of gov’t does STV often result in

Answer 22

Minority government or a coalition

Question 23

What does AMS stand for

Answer 23

Additional member system

Question 24

What formula does AMS use

Answer 24

D’hondt formula

Question 25

How does AMS work

Answer 25

vote for one constituency representative and one additional regional representative on a ‘party list’

Question 26

In Scotland how many seats are elected by FTPT and how many using the D’hondt formula

Answer 26

73 members are elected by FPTP and whilst 56 seats are filled by using list members (D’hondt)

Question 27

What is split ticket voting

Answer 27

AMS gives more choice and means they don’t just vote for an MP on party lines - ‘split ticket’

Question 28

Why do party list candidates have less legitimacy

Answer 28

candidates are just chosen by the party not directly elected.

Question 29

What does SV stand for

Answer 29

Supplementary vote

Question 30

How does SV work

Answer 30

Voters have a first and second preference vote with a candidate elected for winning more than 50% of the first preference votes

Question 31

What happens if no candidate wins 50% of the first preference votes in SV

Answer 31

If no candidates archives this then the top two candidates will have their second preference votes allocated to decide the winner.

Question 32

In the 2021 London Mayoral elections using SV what percentage of first preference votes did Sadiq Khan win

Answer 32

40%

Question 33

In the 2021 London Mayoral elections using SV what percentage of votes did Sadiq Khan have after round 2

Answer 33

55.2%

Question 34

Is the SV system proportional

Answer 34

Only one candidate is elected and they often have a minority of the first preference votes

Question 35

What does AV stand for

Answer 35

Alternative vote

Question 36

Results of the AV referendum pushed by the lib dems in the 2010 coalition

Answer 36

42.2% turnout

68% voted no

Question 37

What does AV ensure candidates have

Answer 37

Ensures that candidates have a majority of the popular vote and that people no longer need to vote tactically.

Question 38

What parties use AV to elect their leaders

Answer 38

Labour and Lib Dems

Question 39

What role is the house of commons is elected using AV

Answer 39

speaker of the hosue

Question 40

What problem would AV solve in constiuencies

Answer 40

Barley 1 in 3 MPs can claim support form a majority of their votes - AV ensures all MPs must have a majority and a real mandate

The MP would therefore have to appeal to a wider range of voters

Question 41

What system does the National assembly for wales use

Answer 41

AMS