Electoral Systems

Question 1

What are the purposes of elections?

Answer 1

• Accountability of the government
• Representation (a mandate for the government)
• development of political policy
• legitimising political power
• Limiting the power of elected representatives
• Selection of a political elite

Question 2

What are the key aspects of First Past the Post?

Answer 2

• The candidate/party with the most votes wins the whole seat.
• The voters have only ONE vote
• Supports “winner´s bonus as well as safe seats and swing seats
• Advantage for parties with high geographical concentration in many areas

Question 3

What does the Fixed-Term Parliament Act suggest?

Answer 3

2011 - creates a five year period between general elections. Early elections may only be held in specified circumstances.

Question 4

What is a minority government?

Answer 4

One in which the government does not have a majority of seats in the parliament. The government is likely to have the most seats, but will have to rely on the support of other parties in order to pursue its legislative programme.

Question 5

Confidence and supply

Answer 5

An agreement where one party agrees to support another with votes in exchange for money or policy changes.

Question 6

What is the difference between a “Coalition” and “Confidence and Supply”?

Answer 6

A coalition is a formal agreement of parties to form government.

Confidence and supply is an informal agreement where the parties support each other in specific aspects of parliament.

Question 7

Coalition government

Answer 7

A formal agreement between two or more parties, with both forming the government.
The parties will agree on policies with expected support from all representatives of the coalition.
The government, including the cabinet, will be formed from members of all parties in the coalition.

Question 8

Safe seats

Answer 8

A seat in which the incumbent has a considerable majority over the closest rival and which is largely immune from swings in voting choice. The same political party retains the seat from election to election.

Question 9

Swing seats

Answer 9

A marginal seat is a parliamentary seat which the incumbent holds after achieving a relatively small majority in the previous election. A small swing in votes from one party to another in a marginal seat would make it likely that the seat would be lost by the incumbent.

Question 10

What describes a good government?

Answer 10

Economic competency (growth of the economy)
Governing competency (strong and stable government)

Question 11

Outline the Additional Member System (AMS)

Answer 11

An electoral system which uses two votes, one for a local representative and one for a regional representative, with the aim of producing a more proportional result.

Question 12

How does the single transferable vote (STV) work?

Answer 12

A voting system in which voters express their preferences, ranking candidates in order. To win, a candidate needs to achieve the “Droop quota”.

Question 13

Supplementary Vote (SV)

Answer 13

A majoritarian voting system in which voters can express two preferences.

Question 14

Good Friday Agreement

Answer 14

Signed on 10 April 1998
- Also known as “Belfast Agreement”
- A political deal designed to bring and end to 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland.
- The Troubles were between the Unionists (pro UK) and nationalists (pro Republic of Ireland)
- It states that a government made up of nationalists and unionists has to be established.
- The UK keeps reserved powers such as education and health.

Question 15

What is a referendum?

Answer 15

A popular vote on a single issue

They can be advisory (where the government does not have to implement the results), or binding (where the government is compelled to enact the result).

Question 16

Name strengths and weaknesses of FPTP

Answer 16

Strengths:
- simple and easy to understand (higher turnout)
- usually creates a strong, stable, majority government
- excludes extremist parties from representation in the legislature
- there is a connection between MPs and their constituencies (greater representation and accountability
- clear election outcome (one party wins majority of seats)

Weaknesses:
- most MPs are elected with less than 50% of the total votes cast in their constituencies
- 2005: Labour won with a 32,5% vote 55% of the seats (the lowest of any majority government)
- high geographical concentration is an advantage
- encourages safe seats (wasted votes)
- likely to lead to tactical voting
- does not always lead to a strong majority government (2010, 2017)
- leads to adversarial politics (winning party + opposition criticise each other instead of working together)

Question 17

Name strengths and weaknesses of Additional Member System (AMS)

Answer 17

Strengths:
- fairer representation
- broadly proportional, but not so much that it rules out the possibility of a single-party government (SNP 2011)
- allows for a greater choice
- allows minority parties to gain seats (the Green party could gain power)

Weaknesses:
- the retention of single-member constituencies reduces the likelihood of high levels of proportionality (2011 = SNP won 44% of votes and 54% of seats)
- it creates confusion (two classes representatives)
- constituency representation is less effective as constituencies are larger and some MPs do not represent a constituency

Question 18

Name strengths and weaknesses of Supplementary Vote (SV)

Answer 18

Strengths:
- fewer wasted votes
- candidates have to work a lot harder for a majority
- more choices for the electorate
- Parties who often come second in FPTP will benefit more (Lib Dems)
- less safe seats
- Overall more representative of what voter want

Weaknesses:
- not very popular
- smaller parties do not benefit
- the likelihood for coalitions is very high if no majority is gained
- takes a lot of time and costs (increased taxes)
- confusion might lead to a lower voter turnout

Question 19

Name strengths and weaknesses of Single Transferable Vote (STV)

Answer 19

Strengths:
- less wasted votes (the individual votes count more)
- highly proportional (the votes and seats are nearly equal)
- Therefore, more satisfaction with outcome
- no safe seats (parties must campaign everywhere)
- voters rank candidates (unpopular candidates will not gain power)

Weaknesses:
- highly populated areas (large constituencies)
- time consuming (results in more costs, more taxes)
- More complex and might cause confusion (lower turnout because of the complexity)
- more coalitions (less manifesto pledges are going to turn into reality)

Question 20

How are referendums might be used?

Answer 20

They are used on a particular policy proposal, often of constitutional significance.

Especially the Liberal Democrats stand for a greater use of referendums.

Question 21

What are strengths and weaknesses of referendums?

Answer 21

Strengths:
- gives the government a mandate for a difficult decision (legitimacy)
- the people can influence policy (results are not legally binding in the UK = Brexit, Gina Miller case)
- helps to educate the people about an issue
- provides a check on the government

Weaknesses:
- fake news can influence voters
- creates division, especially if a narrow victory or loss occurs (Brexit: 52% - 48%)

Question 22

How have referendums been used in the UK and their impact in UK political life since 1997

Answer 22

11 September 1997: Scotland – Scottish devolution referendums on whether there should be a Scottish Parliament and whether the Scottish Parliament should have tax varying powers (both referendums received a yes vote of 74% and 64% respectively. Turnout 60%)

18 September 1997: Wales – Welsh devolution referendum on whether there should be a National Assembly for Wales (yes- 50%. Turnout 50%)

7 May 1998: London – Greater London Authority referendum on whether there should be a Mayor of London and Greater London Authority (yes- 72%. Turnout 34%)

22 May 1998: Northern Ireland – Northern Ireland Belfast Agreement referendum on the Good Friday Agreement, and establishing a Northern Ireland Assembly (yes- 72%. Turnout 80%)

3 March 2011: Wales - Welsh devolution referendum on whether the National Assembly for Wales should gain the power to legislate on a wider range of matters (yes- 63%. Turnout 35%)

5 May 2011: UK – referendum on whether to change the voting system for electing MPs to the House of Commons from first past the post to the alternative vote (no- 68%. Turnout 42%)

18 September 2014: Scotland – referendum on whether Scotland should become an independent country (no- 55%. Turnout 85%).

23 June 2016: UK – referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the European Union, or leave the European Union (leave- 52%. Turnout 72%)

Question 23

How had electoral systems affected the way in which Welsh government had formed?

Answer 23

Between 1997 and 2016 only once had there been a majority government, the rest of the time it was a coalition or minority.

Question 24

How had electoral systems affected the way in which Northern Ireland government had formed?

Answer 24

The Good Friday Agreement requires that representatives from the main unionists and nationalist parties are included in the executive. STV guarantees that one from each will be elected.

Question 25

How had electoral systems affected the way in which Westminster government had formed?

Answer 25

The FPTP system increases the likelihood of one of the big parties winning, meaning people are more likely to vote one of them, this means that when one has won it’s usually by a majority

Question 26

What is an example of devolved countries bringing in policies that only apply to them?

Answer 26

Under Scottish Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition Scottish Uni students do not pay tuition fees and elderly people receive free nursing care.

Question 27

Have smaller parties tried to improve representaion?

Answer 27

When Lib Dems got into coalition with the Conservatives they tried to introduce the AV system but failed the referendum.

Question 28

Why has FPTP survived for Westminster Elections?

Answer 28

• The outcome suits the two main parties
• Voters like it because it is easy to use

e.g. 2011 AV referendum showed little desire for change

Question 29

Why was AMS chosen for Scottish and Welsh devolved elections and the Greater London Assembly?

Answer 29

• It is a compromise between FPTP and STV because it would result in a broadly representative parliament without such a radical change as STV
• retained local representation

Labour though AMS would allow their party to play a part in the Scottish government, but this only lasted until 2007, when the SNP dominance began.

Question 30

Why was STV chosen for the Northern Ireland Assembly?

Answer 30

• Chosen after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement because it was highly proportional

Question 31

Why is SV used to choose mayors?

Answer 31

• simpler than AV
• only the top two candidates would make it to the final round, making it much harder for the losing parties to gain a victory just because they had most of the second and third choice votes.
• the winner would have a clear mandate