Electoral systems Flashcards
what are the functions of an election?
representation- an MP is the link between the people and government and allows people to feel represented. Though this can be complicated as MP’s can vote independently and this may not always represent the views of the people.
choosing the government- with FPTP this is often a majority and there is one clear leader that can form a government. Though there are exceptions to this, for example in 2010 the Conservatives had 20 seats short of a majority and they would form a coalition with the liberal democrats.
holding the government to account- every 5 years people can change their government and can hold people to account by not voting for them, in 2015 there was a Recall of MP’s Act and this triggers a by-election more easily for example if an MP is sentenced to prison.
participation- this is the way that people can become involved in politics and sometimes manifestos can be confusing for example in the 2001 labour manifesto they announced that there would be no top up fees and yet they still raised tuition fees.
influence over policy- election defeats may signal that they should not go ahead with a policy that the people do not want. There would be a major labour defeat in 1983 and this would cause labour to rethink some of their policy ideas.
they also allow small parties to put their views across maybe also in the hope of forming a coalition government, for example the profile of the Green Party was increased in the 1990’s.
how should different voting systems be judged?
a fair result that gives people a equal value
a choice of candidates
an effective link between the elected representative and constituency
a strong government that can pass laws but can be held to account by the electorate.
First Past The Post and its significance?
this is the system that is used in general elections and local elections in England and Wales and by-elections.
this is a plurality system and only one vote can be cast, the winner of the votes will take all of the power, they do not have to gain a majority, though in 1951 and 1974 the party that won would win overall less votes and that means it can distort voters wishes.
FPTP can also be questioned as the sizes of constituencies can vary and this may alter the outcome of an election, for example if they were to re-draw the constituencies then there would be two MP’S for the Isle of Wight compared to just one at the moment.
what are the advantages and disadvantages of first past the post?
they are easy and simple- a voter can only vote for one candidate and then the result will be known early the next morning, often proportional governments can take a lot longer to form.
strong and stable governement- there is less of a chance that a coalition government will take place and therefore this produces a strong government that is able to carry out its duties, for example Tony Blair was able to carry out his duties of devolution in 1997. FPTP will often produce a two party system which is more favoured by many.
exclusion of extremist groups- this is due to smaller parties finding it difficult to gain power
strong link between MP and constitunecy- this is due to only one person will represent your area.
MP’S can be elected on less than 50% of the vote- due to this being a plurality system it is possible that more people will vote against the MP than for the MP.
Tony Blair was elected on only 35.2% of the vote.
lack of proportionality- in 2015 UKIP would gain 3.9 million votes and yet only one seat
however, the SNP would take 56/59 seats yet would get 50% of the vote due their votes being concentrated in one area of the country.
the mis match between votes and seats and for example under Cameron he conservatives would win 50.9% of the seats with only 39.6% of the votes.
limited voter choice- a party will only put forward one member and there are also a large number of safe seats which is estimated to be around half.
wasted votes- of you win for a loosing candidate then that vote will hold no value and it is estimated that around 70% of all votes are wasted votes.
where is AMS used and how does it work?
it combines proportional representation and FPTP.
it is used in Wales, Scotland and the Greater London assembly.
you have two votes one is for a constituency member that is elected using FPTP and then you have a more proportional regional list, these members are considered to be the regional or top-up members due to them being more proportional.
advantages and disadvantages of AMS?
ads:
the regional lists are more proportional for example the conservatives would win no seats un FPTP in 1998 yet they would win 18 seats in 1999.
there is still strong link between MP and constituency under FPTP
Electors have a wider choice and can easily vote for a smaller party and a larger party.
disads:
can create two different types of members and the constituency members may feel like they have more power.
there may still be a lack of proportionality under this system
closed list system is used so members are ranked.
what is STV and how does it work? and where is it used?
Northern Ireland and the Scottish Council
it uses multi member constituencies.
this is a preferential system
candidates are elected using a formula and they must attain a quota, if on the first round the number one candidate reaches the quota then they are elected, if not the least popular candidate is eliminated and their votes are redistributed.
what are the advantages and disadvantages of stv?
ads: there is a close correlation between votes and seats
this will create a power sharing government which can help ease conflict in Northern Ireland.
voter choice is very high
disads:
may not be fully proportional
link between mps and constituencies may be weak
even in Northern Ireland there can still be a break down of trust for example in 2002-07.
what is SV and where is it used?
it is used to elected the London mayor.
this is a preferential vote and if someone gets over 50% on the first round then they are elected, though if not the first and second place candidate votes are redistributed and this will bring a winner.
what are the advantages and disadvantages of this system?
ads:
it ensures broad support
straight forward to understand
it may allow independent candidates to win for example In 2012 12 out of 40 police candidates were independent.
disad:
may not always be proportional
the winner does not need to gain an absolute majority
what is a referendum?
this is a vote on a particular issue which will involve a question that has to be approved by the electoral commissions, an independent body with a yes or no response.
they are an example of a direct democracy within a representative democracy and are called at the discretion of parliament, a UK prime minister does not have to listen to a referendum as they are not legally binding, though it is unlikely that a prime minister would ignore the will of the people.
The first referendum was in 1973 when the people of Northern Ireland were asked if they wanted to remain in the UK, since 2000 with the government of Tony Blair referndums have become more common. In recent times the referendum that has had the greatest effect on our lives would be the Brexit referendum.
in what circumstances is a referendum held?
legitimising a government initiative- it has become typical since the times of Blair to ensure the support the will of people regarding issues that would have a deep and constitutional affect.
getting a government out of a difficult situation- a referendum may be held if a government has serious internal disagreement, this was evident in 1975 when Harold Wilson’s party would be divided over pro/anti European factions.
a result of a deal between political parties- David Cameron would hold a vote for the liberal democrats in 2010, this was due to the coalition that was in place.
in response to pressure to hold a referendum- this would happen with Cameron and the conservatives this was due to the growing demand for an election on the EU, there was a fear that voters may turn to UKIP- he said that if he was elected in 2015 he would hold a referendum on the issue.
what are the advantages of referendums?
this gives the people a chance to be directly involved in politics, in general elections people are voting on a wide range of issues and often trust in their representative can be low. Some issues also transcend a political party for example the EU discussion.
gives people power against the “elective dictatorship” and have a say on a political issue in between the 5 years.
referendums can help to settle arguments as often there is a clear dividing line between what people think, though it is important to note that this is not always true as the Brexit election was so close.
a referendum can help to raise peoples political awareness, for example this was evident with the Scottish referendum in 2014, a wide range of issues was aired with regards to the issue with independence.
since 2000 the conduct of referendums has been subject to supervision by the electoral commission, reduces the chance that the result can be skewed
what are the disadvantages for referendums?
referendums challenge parliamentary sovereignty.
if the question at stake is not clearly explained to the public then popular participation may be low, this was evident with the 2011 referendum regarding AV.
governments choose when to call a referendum, Blair and Brown would deny the electorate a say in the Lisbon treaty in 2007, sometimes referendums can juts be held for political gain.
turnout can be low- this would be evident with the referendum on the 1997 welsh devolution vote which was barely above 50%.
the outcomes of the referendum can be influenced by factors that have nothing to do with the issue that is being put forward to the electorate. they can be used to register a protest against the government, for example the defeat of the AV referendum in 2011 was due to the defeat of the liberal democrats.
why has FPTP survived Westminster elections?
this has been accepted due to the fact that it produces outcomes that are aligned with the majority of British people, it is easy to explain and the 2011 referendum on AV would symbolise that there was a severe lack of support for the change.
