Electoral systems Flashcards
3 types of electoral system
proportional
plurality
majoritarian
example of a majoritarian electoral system
supplementary vote (SV)
example of a plurality electoral system
FPTP
example of a proportional electoral system
additional member system
single transferable vote
example of when SV is used
mayoral election
police and crime commisoner
example of when AMS is used
welsh, scottish, NI and london assembly
example of when FPTP is used
general and regional elections
westminster elections ^^^
what is FPTP
plurality system
candidate w simply most votes wins
features of FPTP
voting is simple
1 person 1 vote
small single member constituencies
concentrated support
advantages of FPTP
simple
traditional
suitable for 2 party systems (UK)
MP is bonded to constituency
produces a clear winner
disadvantages of FPTP
safe seats
restricts representation
personality VS policy
excludes minority parties
what is the purpose of elections
limiting power of elected representatives
holding MPS to account
representation
legitimising political power
how many votes does a voter get in AMS
2
what is the first vote in AMS
constituency vote for a specific candidate (personality)
what is the second vote in AMS
regional vote for party (ideology)
what system is the first vote in AMS
FPTP
what type of electoral system is AMS
hybrid
combines FPTP w/ proportional
closed party list
when voters vote for a list of candidate provided by a party
they have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected.
how many MPs represent each person in Scotland
8 MPs
- 1 constituency MP and 7 regional
how many seats available in scotland
129
advantages of AMS
benefits minority parties
suited for multiparty system
broadly proportional to votes
a majority can be achieved if there is sufficient support
when did Scotland recieve a majority parliament
2011
disadvantages of AMS
complex for general public
can lead to unstable/weak GOVT
difficult to hold GOVt to account
what is STV
proportional system
voters rank candidates in preference
ordinal voting
voter ranks candidates in order of preference and can rank as many as they desire
features of STV
voters can vote for individual candidates w/o worrying about wasted votes
puts power in hands of public
effects of using STV
votes are more valuable
less incentive to tactically vote
fewer safe seats due to multiparty nature of system
closer correlation between % of votes and % of seats
advantages of STV
wider representation
parties must work together
voters are more valuable
disadvantages of STV
coalitions are more likely
- unstable weak GOVT
what is the droop quota
( total number of valid votes / number of seats available in region +1 ) + 1
how must a candidate win when using STV
DROOP QUOTA MUST BE MET
how does SV work
voters can express two preferences
( but cannot be the same candidate )
winner must get outright majority
advantages of SV
simple
both of voters choices are relevant
disadvantages of SV
voters don’t understand system (wasted votes by voting for the same candidate twice)
not suitable for minority parties
winner may not enjoy first choice support
why are different electoral systems now used in the UK?
1997 New Labour wanted new systems (manifesto promise)
wanted to avoid another long conservative GOVT
what political system was used before 1997
only FPTP before 1997
