Electoral Systems

Question 1

What number of seats did small parties have in between 1945 and 1970?

What was this in 2015?

Answer 1

• Between 1945 and 1970-10 MPs

- 2015- 87 MPs

Question 2

What are some examples of lack of votes winning?

Answer 2

• Blair had strong government in 2005, winning 55% majority with 35% of the vote.
• lack of proportionality evident with SNP winning 56/59 seats with 50% of the votes. Also in 2021 in the Senedd, Welsh Labour won 30/60 seats with 40% of the vote share.
• The popular vote doesn’t proportionally create equal representation in parliaments.
• For example UKIP received 3.1m votes in 2015 and was rewarded with only 1 seat. Equalling 13% of the votes

Question 3

What’s an example of a party gaining more representation due to Additional Members System?

Answer 3

• in 2016 Conservatives were awarded with 2 additional MSPs in East of Scotland as they failed to return any constituency MSPs.
• This gave Conservative voters fairer representation in proportion to their political support in North East of Scotland.

Question 4

What’s evidence that more proportional systems are hard to understand?

Answer 4

• 150,000 ballots completed incorrectly in Scottish Parliament 2007, rendering them wasted.
• 382,000 electors didn’t use their second preference vote in 2016 London Mayoral election and 22,000 cast it for same candidate as their first.

Question 5

What’s evidence that more proportional systems aren’t effective.

Answer 5

• SNP still dominate in Scottish elections
• A more proportional system doesn’t prevent extremist parties from gaining seats, eg the British National Party won 2 seats in the 2009 European Parliament elections.
• Relationship between representative and constituents has been weakened, creation of two tiers of representatives.