Electoral systems Flashcards
What are the mechanisms that enhance participation (6)
Compulsory voting, anyone can start/join a political party or form pressure groups, right to free media, implied freedom of speech, constitution protects political freedoms
4 types of representation in parliament
Delegate, trustee, partisan, mirror
What is delegate representation
people present their values, concerns and interests to their representative who re-presents them to parliament, translates words of electorate directly to parliament, personal views don’t count
What is trustee representation
people trust their representative’s judgement to represent their best interests, less reliant on frequent communication with parliament
What is partisan representation
representatives are members of political parties and act in accordance to their party, e.g. representative always sides with party even if it doesn’t favour their electorate
What is mirror representation
the legislative chamber’s composition reflects the composition of the society it represents, e.g if there are 41% males and 59% females in society it would be the same in parliament
What should/is the representation in the house of reps
Should be delegate and mirror but in reality partisan
What should/is the representation in the senate
Should be trustee but in reality is partisan and partially mirror
What are the principles of a democratic election
Free, open, fair, regular
How is the election principle ‘free’ upheld
upheld in all 3 types of elections, all citizens have a right to vote using a secret ballot, however people in prison for 3+ years can’t vote and compulsory voting means no right not to vote
How is the election principle ‘open’ upheld
Upheld in all 3 types of elections, independent electoral commission and public scrutiny minimises corruption, also free media however it doesn’t have much diversity
How is the election principle ‘fair’ upheld
Upheld in preferential and proportional voting but not first past the post, everyone’s vote is treated equally and worth the same, minor parties are also treated the same, however there is constitutionally enshrined malapportionment
How is the election principle ‘regular’ upheld
Upheld in all 3 types of elections, elections must be held every 3 years in HOR and 6 years in senate, however gov decides when the election is and gov can become more focused on votes than job
Progression of voting
secret ballot established, women allowed to vote and run for parliament, preferential voting introduced, compulsory voting introduced, proportional representation introduced in the senate, Aboriginal people allowed to vote, all citizens are required to vote
When was the secret ballot established
1856
When did parliament allow women to vote and run for parliament
1902
When was preferential voting introduced
1918
When was compulsory voting introduced
1924
What was proportional representation introduced into the senate
1949
When did Aboriginal people gain the right to vote
1962
When was every Australian citizen subject to the same voting laws
1983
First past the post voting
Electors vote for only 1 person, person with most votes wins
Advantages of first past the post voting
Quick and easy to count, easy to cast vote, one candidate represents electors- easier accountability, winner’s bonus
Disadvantages of first past the post voting
Creates a 2 party system- realistically only major parties can win, high vote wastages, more vote splitting (candidates from same party compete against each other), doesn’t properly represent the electorate
Preferential voting
Electors number the candidates from most preferred to least preferred and the candidates must have absolute majority (50%+1) to win
Advantages of preferential voting
Absolute majority means majority of people are represented, limited vote splitting, less vote wastage, promotes accountability
Disadvantages of preferential voting
promotes underrepresentation and overrepresentation- harder for minor parties to win, high number of informal votes, takes longer to count
Proportional voting
Aims to reflect the proportion of the votes received by a political party as a proportion of seats gained in parliament, used in multi-member electorates
Advantages of proportional voting
doesn’t usually result in gov maj allowing senate to function as house of review, greater diversity that reflects society, easier for minor parties to get elected=fairer, less vote wastage
Disadvantages of proportional voting
Harder to pass legislation if gov doesn’t have maj- can cause an impasse meaning parties can’t compromise, less accountability as there is a weak link between voters and representative, higher rate of informal voting below the line
What is the impact on the crossbench of preferential voting?
2019 election- crossbench was only 6
2022 election- crossbench is 16
What is the impact on informal votes by preferential voting
2019 election- 5.54% of informal votes
2022 election- 5.08% of informal votes
What occurred when the 2016 double dissolution happened
The quota almost halved from 14% to 7.7% meaning the crossbench had 20 members which has since decreased to 15 seats in 2019 and 16 seats in 2022
What is gerrymandering
Drawing district lines to achieve a specific goal such as drawing lines that favour certain parties by things such as grouping allot of a party’s voters together to increase vote wastage
Why isn’t gerrymandering democratic
It goes against separation of powers as it gives the state legislators the power to draw lines meaning they can draw them to favour the party they are a part of
Why doesn’t Australia have gerrymandering
Committees of public officials that are independent to the government, parliament and political parties draw Australia’s electorate boundaries making gerrymandering more unlikely
