Electoral Systems

Question 1

What are most people’s only form of political participation?

Answer 1

Elections

Question 2

Three Functions of Elections

Answer 2

1) Political Participation
2) To influence party policy and its manifesto
3) To Choose a Govt

Question 3

Three Electoral Systems

Answer 3

Plurality System - Where candidates win simply by getting more votes than the others
Majoritarian Systems - Where Candidates must get at least 51% of the vote to win
Proportional System - Multi-member constituencies where several representatives are chosen

Question 4

Three advantages of FPTP

Answer 4

1) Strong and Stable Govt
2) Clear Majority
3) Simple plurality system

Question 5

3 Disadvantages of FPTP

Answer 5

1) Wasted Votes - 2015, UKIP with 4m votes and 1MP
2) Disproportional Outcome
3) Forces Tactical Voting and Safe seats

Question 6

3 Advantages of List PR

Answer 6

1) Highly Proportional Result - Scottish area 25% of winnings = 24% votes
2) More Access points
3) MP focussed on bigger picture

Question 7

2 Disadvantages of List PR

Answer 7

1) Majorities Unlikely
2) Poor MP - Constituency Link
3) Complicated

Question 8

3 Advantages of AMS

Answer 8

1) Broadly Proportional Result
2) All votes count - regional voting
3) Retains MP - Constituency Link

Question 9

3 Disadvantages of AMS

Answer 9

1) Produces Minority Govt
2) Creates two classes of MP - some accountable to electorate and some accountable to party leaders
3) More Complicated than FPTP

Question 10

3 Advantages of Single-Transferable-Vote

Answer 10

1) Proportionality - voters can select multiple parties and particular candidates
2) Fewer wasted Votes - excess votes for winner recounted
3) Fairer to third-parties - eliminates safe seats and tactical voting

Question 11

3 Disadvantages of AMS

Answer 11

1) Produces Coalitions
2) Complicated System
3) Alphabet Voting

Question 12

3 Advantages of Alternative Vote System (AV)

Answer 12

1) MPs maintain a majority = Strong Govt
2) No Safe Seats = Theoretically MPs campaign more and appeal to more voters
3) Constituent ‘happier’ with MP

Question 13

3 Disadvantages of AV

Answer 13

1) Potentially less proportional than FPTP
2) More Coalitions - third parties can win more seats
3) Unequal Votes - candidates eliminated first will have their votes counted more times

Question 14

Explain FPTP

Answer 14

Works on the Majoritarian principle that the candidate with the largest number of votes in each constituency wins the vote

Runners up receive no electoral reward

Question 15

Explain AMS

Answer 15

Mixture of FPTP and List PR

Voters have two ballot papers and two votes; one for constituency representative and one for the parties in the region

More proportional vote that if the system was solely based on single-member constituency seats elected by FPTP

Question 16

Explain the Single Transferable Vote

Answer 16

Multi-member constituencies where voters rank their choices in order of preference

A quota is worked out

A candidate that has more first preference votes than the quota is immediately elected

Surplus votes are transferred to other candidates in proportion to the second preference marked on the ballots receive by the candidates

Elimination and rounds continue until all seats are filled

Question 17

Explain Alternative Votes

Answer 17

Under AV, voters adds a number by the name of each candidate, one for fave, two for second fave, etc

AV remains single-member constituencies and there is no quota

If a candidate recieves more than half the votes in the first stage they are elected.

If nobody gets half, whichever candidate comes last and their second preference votes are redistributed

This process is repeated until one candidate gets at least half the vote

Question 18

Explain List PR

Answer 18

Area is bigger so (South East England) - 26 large constituencies each with 25 MPS

Parties rank candidates for the area

One seat allocated each round