Electoral Systems Flashcards
Introduction
Electoral systems within western democracies invariably aim to be fair in their representation of voters and to ensure greater choice for all. In the United Kingdom two such electoral systems shall be considered and compared: First Past the Post (FPTP) as the British-wide electoral system based at Westminster, compared the Scottish Parliamentary electoral system known as the Additional Members System (AMS). It shall be argued that while AMS offers fairer proportional representation and greater choice in terms of votes cast and seats awarded, FPTP remains an electoral system promoting greater stability and stronger constituency links.
Additional members system (KNOWLEDGE 1)
Additional Member System (AMS) provides a fairer and more representative results with greater choice. This can be seen when looking at the fact that you are given two votes in elections. This is evident as when looking at Coatbridge and Chryston in the 2019 General Election where in the first vote, voters were given the choice of five named candidates of who they want to be MSP and for the second regional vote they were given the choice ten parties to vote for.
Additional members system (KNOWLEDGE 2)
It can be further backed up that AMS is more representative when considering criticisms of First Past The Post (FPTP). This is can be seen when looking at tactical voting.
This is evident as for example in an article from the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) published on the 6th March 2020 which highlighted that FPTP had led to tactical voting and limited choice. It stated that YouGov data revealed that almost a third of voters (32%) said they voted tactically in the 2019 general election, up from around one in five two years earlier.
Additional members system (KNOWLEDGE 1)
One electoral system that provides fairer representation is AMS. This can be seen when looking at how proportional the system is and the percentage of votes a party receives to the percentage of seats a party gets.
This is evident as in 2016 the Conservative party won 22% of vote and got 24% of the seats in the Scottish Parliament.
Additional members system (KNOWLEDGE 4)
This point can be further supported that the Additional Member System is more representative by considering how unrepresentative FPTP as a system is in comparison.
This can be shown as the Conservative party in the 2019 Westminster elections had 43.6% of the vote but received a more inflated 56% of the seats.
Additional members system (EVALUATION)
In evaluation it could be argued that the Additional Members System offers fairer representation than FPTP. This can be seen when looking at the amount of MSP’s you have to represent your region being more representative of the votes cast, while FPTP is more a winner takes all election style and therefore less representative.
First past the post (KNOWLEDGE 1)
It can be argued that there is choice within the First Past the Post system to an extent. This can be seen as when a MP resigns or leaves their post, this automatically triggers a by-election.
For example, when MP for Newport West, Paul Flynn, died in 2019 there was a by-election which led to Ruth Jones being elected on 4th April 2019.
First past the post (KNOWLEDGE 2)
However in contrast, a negative of AMS is that it sometimes does not provide fair representation and greater choice. This can be seen when examining that is that there are no by-elections for list MSP’s.
This is evident as in November 2020 MSP Michelle Ballantyne resigned from the Scottish Conservatives representing South Scotland (Region).
First past the post (EVALUATION)
In evaluation FPTP system provides greater choice for voters than the AMS as there are by-elections in the FPTP system and not in the Additional Member System which therefore suggests that FPTP offers voters greater voter choice in this regard.
FPTP arguably provides largely fair representation. This can be seen by the fact that FPTP is very effective in producing strong majority governments.
First past the post (KNOWLEDGE 3)
FPTP is more representative than the AMS. This is shown by examining the disproportionate influence of small parties in the Scottish Parliament in 2016.
This is evident as despite the Greens gaining only 4% of the vote but have been able to tell the SNP (who had almost 50% of the vote) what to do at times as they are in a coalition together. Indeed, Politico in March 2021 forewarned the May 2021 elections would potentially offer the Greens a ‘kingmaker role’ thereby continuing to impose undue influence in the Scottish government due to AMS.
First past the post (evaluation 2)
In evaluation, FPTP is more representative than AMS as it is more effective in producing strong majority governments with the ability to pass legislation unimpeded by the minority of the electorate, furthermore, AMS consistently fails to produce majority governments meaning minority parties have a disproportionate influence upon legislation passing which is unrepresentative.
Conclusion
In conclusion it can be argued that the AMS provides a fairer and more representative result with greater choice. This is shown with AMS offering the opportunity to place two votes in an election, as well as this it allows for a more proportional government where the votes match the seats gained as seen with the Conservatives in 2019. Nevertheless not everyone is fully represented as AMS sometimes does not provide fair representation and greater choice. This can be seen when examining that there are no by-elections for list MSP’s.
