Electoral systems

Question 1

What are the advantages of plurality systems?

Answer 1

Simple and easy for voters to understand = high turn out = greater legitimacy
Turnout at the UK general elections - First Past the Post in 2019 was 67%
Turnout in the Scottish Parl election 2021 (AMS) 63.5%
Produces a strong single party govt which can lead the country without compromising on manifesto promises without voters consent. E.h 2021 Scottish Parl elections the Scottish Greens became King Makers holding influence over the SNP despite having less than 5% of the votes
Extremist parties are excluded at the 2010 General election the BNP won 2% of the total vote but did not gain any seats
Single member constituencies create a clear link between connsituents and individual representatives who are accountable to them e.g At the North Shropshire by election 2021 voters elected a Lib Dem MP after the previous Conservative resigned over breaching lobbying rules

Question 2

What are the advantages of proprtional systems?

Answer 2

More parties have a chanc eof getting candiates elected so all peoples views will be welll represnted e.g in 2019 the Greens and Lib Dems won 14.2% of the vote between them but less than 2% of the seats in parliament
Multi member consituentcies mean fewer safe seats so there is less tachtical voting or asted votes. As of 2019 192 seats at West minster had been held by the same party since 1945
AMS allows voters to vote for 2 different parties (split ticket) In Scotland in 2021 Greens got 1.3% of constitency vote and 8.1% of the regional vote
A coalition govt with a greater share of the overall vote has more legitimacy
e.g 2021 Scottish Parl election was AMS and led to a confidence and supply agreement between the Greens and SNP who between them had 48.7% of the votes whereas in 2019 the Conservatives won the majotity with 43.6% of the votes
People are less likely to have a representative that they did not vote for e.g at the General Election 2019 45.3% of voters cast their vote for a losing candiadate

Question 3

What are the advantages of majoritarian systems?

Answer 3

Adding a second prefernce means there are less wasted votes e.g 2021 London Mayoral elections of the 2.5 million people who voted fewer than 350,000 votes werenot counted in the second round
Only allowing a candidate to win if they have a clear majority enhances their legitimacy e.g Sadiq Khan was elected Mayor with 55% of the vote whereas in the 2019 General Election 229 MPs were elected with less than 50% of the consituency vote
Produces a strong single party govy to lead the country without the need to compromise on manifesto promises
Extremist parties are excluded
Creates a clear ink between constituents and an individual representatie