electoral systems Flashcards
what does FPTP create?(negative)
two party system
what does FPTP lead to for 3rd parties?
- means that 3rd parties are massively under-represented
- so lots of people don’t have their views represented
how did UKIP perform in 2015?
12.7% of vote but won only 1 seat
what kind of system of FPTP?
plurality system - only need to have a plurality of votes to win
why did 3rd parties not do well in plurality systems?
- 3rd parties tend to have wide support, but it is spread across the country, so they are not successful, as seen with UKIP in 2015
- only get a few votes within a constituency, so they don’t win the seat
what do you need to be successful in FPTP?
a concentration of votes - exact opposite of what 3rd parties have
what does FPTP create? (positive)
clear MP-constituency link
why does FPTP create a clear MP-constituency link?
MPs are elected by their constituents to represent them
give an example of the strong MP-constituency link?
- 2019 LSF presented Nicky Morgan with a climate change petition
- Nicky then passed it not environment secretary Michael Gove to discuss the issue
what can constituents do w/ with their MP?
can easily get in contact with their MP to raise an issue that concerns them
how does strong MP-constituency link relate to democracy?
since we are a representative democracy and follow trustee model it is duty of MPs to represent constituents in parliament
what has FPTP failed to produce in recent times?
strong and stable govt
what does AMS create? (positive)
multi-party system
why does AMS create multi-party system?
even though stage 1 uses FPTP, stage 2 sues D’Hondt formula which evens out mistakes of FPTP
what happened in 2011 election in Wales?
2011 constituency vote, fourth highest supported party got 10% of vote
how did 2011 election display AMS creating a multi-party system?
several parties can gain a reasonable share of the vote
what does a multi-party system mean for 3rd parties?
3rd parties get better representation and have a better chance of winning
what does multi-party system prevent?
fewer wasted votes
how does fewer wasted votes improve democracy?
less political apathy and thus higher turnout
what does AMS fail to create? (in theory)
strong and efficient govts
why does D’Hondt formula prop up 3rd parties?
- due to proportional top up in regional stage of AMS
- since they are generally under-represented in 1st stage due to FPTP
why does AMS lead to weak govt with few seats?
since big parties are successful in stage 1 they are weakened in stage 2
what happened in Scotland in 2007?
- no arty had a majority
- SNP = 47 seats
- Labour = 46 seats
why is weak govt bad?
harder to pass legislation and represent voters in carry out manifesto promises
what kind of system of STV?
highly proportional system
why would STV benefit UK?
- would lead to better representation
- stronger democracy - we are a rep democ
in the 2017, election how many votes/seats did DUP and Sinn Fein get?
- DUP = 28.1% vote / 31.1% seats
- Sinn Fein = 27.9% vote / 30.0% seats
why is it good parl is more representative?
more people’s views are represented - more legitimate legislation
what does STV decrease?
decreases turnout
why does STV decrease turnout?
due to complexity of systems, many of electorate struggle to use and understand it
why can STV weaken democracy?
fewer people participate in elections as they don’t understand the electoral system
what was turnout in Ireland in 2011 and 2016?
2011 = 55.7% turnout 2016 = 54.8% turnout
why do people struggle to understand STV?
- they have to list all the candidates in order of preference and there is quote for candidates to meet to be elected
- decreases turnout how system works as it too complicated - so don’t bother turning out
