Electoral Systems

Question 1

What are the features of First Past the Post?

Answer 1

Small, single member constituencies
Winner takes all- based on plurality
Voting is simple
Voters choose a candidate and not a party
Voters get one vote for one candidate

Question 2

What are 5 advantages of First Past the Post?

Answer 2

1.) Simple system
2.) Close representative-electorate bond
3.) No extremist parties
4.) Tends to produce an outright winner
5.) Traditional

Question 3

What are 5 disadvantages of FPTP?

Answer 3

1.) Gives advantage to those with support in concentrated regions
2.) Disadvantages for parties with support that’s more widely dispersed
3.) Favours large parties
4.) ‘Winner’s bonus’- parties take more than its proportionate share (e.g. 2019, Cons won 43% of the votes but got 56% of the seats)
5.) Recent GE’s (2010, 2015, 2017) didn’t have a decisive government

Question 4

Arguments for the retention (keeping) of FPTP

Answer 4

Easy to understand
Close constituency-MP bond
Promotes a strong, stable and decisive government
Prevent smaller ‘extremist’ parties
Used for a long time
Change can have unintended consequences
2011 referendum rejected change

Question 5

Arguments against the retention (keeping) of FPTP

Answer 5

Overall outcome is neither proportional nor fair
Questions legitimacy of the government if it’s not a decisive majority
Safe seats have their votes ‘wasted’ and less valuable votes
Encourages tactical voting
Prevents new parties/ small ones

Question 6

What countries use AMS?

Answer 6

Scotland and Wales

Question 7

How does AMS work?

Answer 7

The electorate is given twos votes. One is for their constituency member and the other is for the party that would form the government. Therefore, it’s two elections put into one

Question 8

Why would AMS be useful instead of FPTP?

Answer 8

Broadly proportionate outcome
Voters get two choices- more options
Combines preserving constituency representation with a proportionate outcome
Helps small parties that can’t win constituency contests

Question 9

Why would AMS not be good to replace FPTP?

Answer 9

Produces two classes of representation- those with a constituency and those elected through the lists
More complex- can be confusing
Result in the election of extremist candidates

Question 10

What country uses STV?

Answer 10

Northern Ireland

Question 11

What is the equation for the droop quota

Answer 11

Total number of votes/ number of available seats (6) + 1

Question 12

How does the transferable part of STV work?

Answer 12

If the person you put ‘1’ for got the least number of votes and gets kicked out, you will be voting for the person you put ‘2’ for. Then, the votes are recounted and if someone gets in, that’s it for them. However, if both the people you put for ‘1’ and ‘2’ are out, they will see who you put for ‘3’. This continues until 6 candidates are chosen

Question 13

What are the advantages of STV?

Answer 13

Gives a broadly proportional outcome (necessary for N. Ireland)
Gives voters a large range of candidates to choose from
Voters can choose candidates from different parties
Each voter has a choice of those who represent them
Helps smaller parties

Question 14

What are the disadvantages of STV?

Answer 14

COMPLEX
Vote counting is complicated and can take a long time
Helps candidates with extreme views get elected
Lines of accountability aren’t clear

Question 15

What placed uses SV?

Answer 15

For the mayor of London
It used to be for the Police and Crime Commissioner- though it’s been changed and has been replaced with FPTP

Question 16

How does SV work?

Answer 16

Voters get two choices. If any candidate gets over 50% of the votes, they’re automatically elected. If not, the top two second choices go into a second round of counting and the rest are dropped. The second choice votes of those eliminated are added on to the first choices for the top two candidates, so one of them is bound to get a majority.

Question 17

What are the advantages of SV?

Answer 17

Winning candidate has an overall majority
Relatively simple to understand
Voters have an opportunity to support more than one party

Question 18

What are the disadvantages of SV?

Answer 18

Winning candidate may be chosen as a second choice candidate
Probably entrench and promote the two party system
Third parties will be more excluded

Question 19

Arguments for the use of referendums to settle political issues?

Answer 19

They are the purest form of democracy
They can mend rifts in society
Solve conflicts WITHIN the political system
Referendums are useful when the expressed consent of the people is important
The people are arguably much more informed than they were compared to the past

Question 20

Arguments against the use of referendums to settle political issues?

Answer 20

The people may not be able to understand everything- e.g. the consequences
They can also cause social rifts
Danger to the excessive use of referendums that may undermine the authority of representative democracy
Represent ‘tyranny of the majority’ -e.g. the people who lost don’t get a say
Voters can be emotionally swayed rather than act rationally
Questions cannot always be reduced to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer