Electoral systems

Question 1

What are elections

Answer 1

A big vote where people choose who they want to represent them

Question 2

What is campaigning

Question 3

What is gerrymandering

Answer 3

• favoring one political party over another

Question 4

What are political parties

Answer 4

An organized body of people looking to gain political power

Question 5

What is exaggeration

Answer 5

Overemphasizes the support of the winning party

Question 6

What is exclusion

Answer 6

Where votes not cast for the winning candidate or considered wasted

Question 7

What is distortion

Answer 7

Overemphasizes the lack of support for the losing party

Question 8

What concept does elections fall under ?

Answer 8

Representative democracy

Question 9

What is representative democracy

Answer 9

Where an individual or group acts on behalf of a larger body

Question 10

What are the advantages of Representative Democracy

Answer 10

It relieves ordinary citizens of the burden of decision making

It allows government to be planed in the hands of those with better education

Question 11

What are the two types of democracy?

Answer 11

• Direct democracy
• Representative democracy

Question 12

What is direct democracy

Answer 12

Where all citizens debate and collectively decide on issues affecting a community

Question 13

What is the purpose of elections ?

Answer 13

• Gives citizens the opportunity to participate directly in the political process
• Gives voters a chance to choose between competing parties
• It provides legitimacy for a government

Question 14

What are the polling day regulations

Answer 14

• No plural voting (casting more than one vote)
• No public meetings
• All posters must be removed

Question 15

What is an electoral system

Answer 15

A set of rules that determines the distribution of seats in parliament

Question 16

What are the electoral systems divided into

Answer 16

• Majoritarian (requiring the winner to secure a majority)
• Proportional (attempting to distribute seats in portions)
• A hybrid (a combination of the two)

Question 17

What are the four main objectives that electoral systems should be addressed from ?

Answer 17

• legitimacy (how effective are the methods to ensure elections are free and fair)
• Stable government ( can the government last )
• Voter choice

Question 18

What is the First Past The Post Electoral System?

Answer 18

Where the candidate with the most votes wins the seat

and the party with the most seats wins the elections

Question 19

What are the First Past The Post functions ?

Answer 19

• Voters select a single candidate usually by marking X on a ballot paper
• The winning candidate has to obtain a plurality of votes

Question 20

What are the advantages of First Past the Post

Answer 20

• It enables members who die or resign to be replaced
• It enables for a stable government and clear defined opposition

Question 21

What are the Disadvantages of FPTP

Answer 21

• causes exaggeration
• distortion
• exclusion

Question 22

What is proportional representation

Answer 22

• where the votes and seats are equal

Question 23

What are the advantages of Proportional Representation

Answer 23

• Gerrymandering is not possible
• It promotes unity

Question 24

What are the disadvantages of Proportional Representation?

Answer 24

• Can be hard for voters to understand
• Can lead to instability

Question 25

What are the two electoral systems

Answer 25

• FPTP
• Proportional Representation