Electoral Systems Flashcards
What is the name of the system for UK elections?
FPTP - First-past-the-post
What did the Reform Act of 1832 and 1867 do?
increased voting to all types of men
Reform acts in the 20th Century accomplish?
Granted women the vote, and 18-year-olds
4 key properties of a UK election
- Secret Ballot
- Universal suffrage
- Regular elections, regulated independently
- clear voter choice on the ballot
What is Universal Suffrage
the right of almost all adults to vote in political elections.
Elections in UK Definition
An opportunity for citizens to cast a vote for a representative of their choice. Feature of Liberal and representative democracy. Governments are chosen and held accountable.
Electoral system definition in the Uk
Processes in which votes are cast are translated into officials or seats. Variety of systems - Proportional, plurality and majoritarian
Proportional Electoral System
The distribution of seats corresponds closely with the proportion of the total votes cast for each party
Plurality Electoral System
The electoral process is in which the candidate who polls more votes than any other candidate is elected.
Majoritarian Electoral System
Electoral system where the candidate with the most votes takes the seat using the winner-takes-all principle
Party System in the UK
The number of parties with a realistic chance of forming a government. The electoral process is chosen, not a choice itself.
What is a Mandate
Right to act on behalf of the constituency and its representative. The party that wins, the mandate has the authority to carry out policies
Legitimate Government
A government that is formed after a fair and free election.
The difference between authority and power
Authority - Exercising power, granted by the government during elections
Power - Ability to carry out government action
How does a government fail to get legitimacy?
If the turnout is too low, meaning it doesn’t usually reflect the views of the public
What is published as part of the election?
Manifesto - document outlining policies
of the party to implement to be elected
What is a Supplementary Vote (SV)
Majoritarian Electoral system - A majority vote 50% vote wins all the seats
What is the First-past-the-post (FPTP)
Plurality , is more votes than else. no outright majority. UK
What is a Additional member system (AMS)
Proportional
After how many years should a election occur
5 years
What is the Fixed Parliaments act?
UK elections should occur every five years, unless 2/3 of MPs decided to call on a general election.
How many areas is the uk divided into - Constituency
650 geographical areas
Who is represented in each constituency?
1 seat in House of Commons by a single MP
What is a minority government?
If no party has a majority after a national election two parties may combine to create a minority government.
What happened at the 2010 general election?
Coalition between Conservatives and Lib Dems
What happened at the 2015 election?
Very small conservative majority of only 331 of 650 seats
Effects using FPTP
- Two party system is formed
- Fairly quick to count the votes
- Simple to understand
- Doesn’t cost much to administer
What is the Winner Bonus?
Over rewards parties with the bigger votes - eg. 1997 Labour gained 43% of national vote but 63% of seats
How many seats does a party need to form a government -
326/ 650
What is confidence and supply>
a party or independent members of parliament will support the government in motions of confidence and appropriation or budget (supply) votes, by either voting in favour or abstaining.
What is a coalition?
An a agreement between two+ parties to form a government
Government and cabinet formed from all members of that party
What is a safe seat
Particular party can guarantee victory on a certain seat
What is a Marginal Seat
Based on voter loyalty, unable to predict who will belong too
What is a spoiled ballot
A ballot filled incorrectly and is therefore ignored and not counted. Can be intentional or accidental
Traditional advantages of FPTP
- Simplicity: Easy system and produces a quick result. Help reduce spoiled ballots as it is easier to vote
- Strong Government: Produce a strong single party government
- Mp Constituency Link: Clear link from area to constituency
- Centrist policies: Third parties struggle to gain power, leads to a less likely forming of extremism parties gaining power.
Traditional disadvantages of FPTP
- Lack of Voters Choice: two party system limits the voters views
- Unequal vote value: Uneven constituencies could leave a vote of one person to be more valuable then another’s.
- No Majority needed: Loss of votes, due to the plurality system.
- Disproportionate result: two main parties are over represented, through winner bonus.
What is Tactical Voting
Voting for a certain party to make sure a certain party does not get into power, or for a policy to pass.
Developments to FPTP in the 20th century
More Safe-seats - a significant jump from 2015 (21 seats) -2019 (35 seats)
Electoral reforms since 1997
Scottish parliament was created,
national assembly for Wales (welsh parliament)
Wasted Vote definition
A vote which does not receive any representation in the final election outcome
What is The Additional Member System (AMS)
It is the only system which gives voters two independent votes to cast—one for local representatives, and one for regional.Used in Scotland and Wales
What is the Scottish Parliament called?
Holyrood
What is the Welsh Parliament called?
Senedd
How many constituencies in Scotland
73 single-membered
What is the d’Hondt Formula
+1,
Number of regional votes gained for any given party/number of seats a party has gained at a constituency level +1
Why do they use the d’Hondt Formula?
To find out who wins the first seat in regional elections
Advantages of AMS
Proportional Results - The more seats a party gains in a constituency the more it harder to gain regional seats
Split ticket voting - Voters have two votes, and more parties are able to run and have a chance
Government with broad popularity -
A party must be popular across the whole population
Greater representation - Voters have a better chance to have a representative who shares their ideologies
MP- Constituency link - Constuencey is relatively small, and gives the voters a direct link.
Disadvantages of AMS
More Complicated - The process is simple, but how it is worked out can make voters feel like their votes will be changed mathematically
FPTP used first-round - Same disadvantages as FPTP
Different representatives - Cause different views to clash and accountability to not be held.
What is a split ticket?
Voters vote twice, perhaps for the same or different parties.
Multiparty definition
Voters vote twice, perhaps for the same or different parties.
What is Single Transferable Vote
Only system in the Uk which uses Ordinal voting.
What is the ordinal vote?
Voters cast their chosen candidate in order of preference
Which country uses STV
Northern Ireland
How many regiond in Northern Ireland
18 large multi-regional members
How do you gain seats in STV? (Droop Quota)
Total number of valid votes cast in a region +1
DIVIDED
Number of seats available in a region +1
+1
Advantages of STV
Proportional results - Has the most closes correlation between the percentage of seats and votes cast
Voters’ Choice -They have a variety of options eg. They may like the party but not the representative
Greater representative - Multi-member constituency.
Disadvantages of STV
More Complicated - The process of voting is easy however it can reduce turnout
Unlikely single-party government - There has to be a coalition in government which could be weaker
Constituency link - No local MPS meaning a detachment
What is the Good Friday agreement?
There has to be a coalition government
What is a Supplementary Vote?
A Majoritarian voting system in which voters can express two preferences
When is Supplementary Vote used?
In London mayoral elections every 4 years
Advantages of Supplementary vote (SV)
Majority Result - Winning candidate has the majority, increasing legitimacy
Voters Choice - They have a wider range of Choice, their vote is also not wasted
Simple System - SV is easy to understand in both voting and how they are counted
Extremist parties - It is less likely that extremist parties gain power due to needing a majority
Disadvantages of SV
Two party dominance - Third parties unlikely to do well, due to the elimination of all parties but two
False majority - Peoples votes who have a second preference has been eliminated has not been counted meaning it may not be a true majority
Wasted Votes - Large number of votes which does not have an impact
Tactical voting - SV encourages Tactical voting by using the second preference rather than the best choice
Key Features in an Electoral system
Voters, voting for either one or two candidates/ parties to represent their country
Seat Allocation, the number of Votes represent each seat gained.
Ballot Structure, determines how the voters votes is recorded
Constitution, each election splits the country into different constitution which adds up to the total votes
What is a Referendum
A “yes” or “no” vote given to the public. to vote on a single issue eg.brexit
What is a Redress of Grievance
Right to Petition to the Government, make an complaint, seek assistances without fear or reprisals.
Why Call a Referendum
- Response to Public pressure
- Resolve controversial issues such as Brexit
- Called for an agreement between two parties
- Referendums can lend legitimacy to large constitutions changes in the UK.
Why are Referendums not legally binding?
Even if the vote has been taken, parliment does not need to carry this ut. This is due to Parliament being Sovereign (
What type of democracy are elections
Representative democracy
What type of democracy are referendums
Direct Democracy
