Electoral systems Flashcards
What is FPTP?
- An electoral system where the person with the most number of votes is elected
– Victory is achieved by having one more vote than other contenders
– it is also called a plurality system
What is AMS?
- A hybrid electoral system that has two components or elements
- The voter makes two choices – firstly, the voter selects a representative on a simple plurality (FPTP) system then a second vote is apportioned to a party list for a second or ‘additional’ representative
What is STV?
- This system allows voters to rank their voting preferences in numerical order rather than simply having one voting choice
- In order to obtain a seat, a candidate must obtain a quota
- After the votes are cast, those with the least votes are eliminated and their votes transferred and those candidates with excess votes above the quota also have their votes transferred
What is SV?
- This is a majoritarian system
- The voter makes two choices (hence the term ‘supplementary’)
- If one candidate obtains over 50% on the first vote then the contest is complete, if no candidate reaches this level, all but the top two candidates remain
- Then the supplementary choices are re-distributed and whoever gets the most votes from the remaining two, wins the seat
Advantages/Disadvantages of FPTP
Advantages:
- maintains a strong constituency - MP link
- strong and clear mandates
- Easy to understand
- one representative for each constituency
Disadvantages:
- not proportional
- Disenfranchises voters
- Encourages tactical voting
- prevents new parties from gaining seats
Advantages/disadvantages of AMS
Advantages:
- more proportional
- maintains Constituency - MP link
- more voter choice
- helps smaller parties
Disadvantages:
- all of the flaws of FPTP
- two types of representation
- can result in election of extremist candidates
Advantages/Disadvantages of SV
Advantages:
- Legitimacy
- Voters have more choice
Disadvantages:
- Candidates can win on 2nd preference votes
Advantages/disadvantages of STV
Advantages:
- proportional
- Multiple candidates for the same party
- wide voter choice
- helps small parties and independent candidates
- more likely to be represented by a party you support
Disadvantages:
- Unlikely to produce majority governments
- complex
- accountability is not clear due to having 6 representatives in a constituency
- candidates with extremist views can be elected
What are referendums?
- can be defined as a vote at any level, in response to a question that usually has a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer
- Ad Hoc (used when necessary)
- they are advisory and only a means of testing public opinion due to parliamentary sovereignty
- Usually been used to test public approval of legislation that has already passed such as devolution and the AV referendum
- The electoral commission regulates funding to ensure equal funding and works to ensure that the sides don’t issue false information and organise the counting of the vote
why have referendums been called?
- to entrench a constitutional reform (extensions on devolution to wales 2011)
- to test public opinion (North East Assembly 2004)
- to resolve a conflict within a political party (EU referendum 2016)
- to resolve a conflict between parties sharing power (AV referendum 2011)
- to resolve a conflict within the wider community (good friday agreement 1998)
- To achieve a political goal (Scottish Indyref 2014)
differences between elections and referendums
Elections:
- Held regularly, by Law
- Concern multiple policies and issues
- usually have multiple choices
- legally binding
- people vote to fill an office or choose a government
Referendums:
- Ad Hoc
- usually a single issue
- usually a simple, binary choice and single outcome
- not legally binding
- people vote to decide on an issue
similarity between elections and referendums
both grant legitimacy to decisions
elections - the winner claims a mandate
referendums - the electorate directly grants authority to the government to implement a specific decision
impact of referendums
- Governments use referendums as a way of gaining direct consent for major policies they want to implement – Scottish, Welsh and NI devolution – policy of labour but needed to reinforce – Gov was confident it would win the three votes – so it proved
- Severe blow to authority for government if it loses referendum debate – EU referendum where David Cameron resigned as ‘Leave’ won as well as many other ministers, leading to a complete change of government
- If result is close, can still boost losing side – Scottish indyref 2014 – all main English parties forced to promise greater Scottish power – EU referendum reignited the debate as Scotland voted 62% to remain so were made to leave without their will
- Can change things whatever the outcome
- They can promote political change and they can also remove policies from Gov agenda – AV referendum 2011
for and against referendums
For:
- purest form of democracy
- can mend rifts in society
- can solve conflicts within the political system
- useful when the consent of the people is important
- people more informed than ever
Against:
- people may not understand the complexities of an issue
- can cause social rifts
- undermines the authority of representative democracy
- can lead to tyranny of the majority
- voters may be swayed by emotion rather than rational thinking
- questions more complicated than a simple ‘yes/no’ answer
problems with referendums in representative democracy
- Representatives are more likely to adopt a rational approach and resist emotional reactions to questions
- Elected politicians have experts to help them make decisions – can ensure that the information on which they base their judgement is accurate
- Elected representatives have to concern themselves with the with the competing interests of both the majority and minorities – voters are self-interested – referendums can lead to tyranny of the majority
- MPs have more knowledge and expertise on complex issues
