Electoral Systems Flashcards
Explain the key functions of elections
- Hold current government + MPs to account
- Choose a new government or elected representative
- Limit the power of government by ensuring accountability
- Encourage political participation of the electorate
- Give a political party a mandate for their manifesto
What electoral systems are used across the UK
UK National
* Every 5 years
* FPTP - 650 MPs
Scotland
* Every 5 years
* Additional Member System
* 129 MSPs
Wales
* Every 5 years
* Additional Member System
* 60 MSs
Northen Ireland
* Every 5 years
* Single Transferable Vote
* 90 MLAs
London Mayor
* Every 4 years
* FPTP
London Assembly - AMS
Electoral Changes 2022
- Fixed-Term Parliaments Act repealed in 2022 gave the PM back the power on when to call elections
- Elections Act 2022 - changed the electoral system for the London Mayor from SV to FPTP
Explain the advantages of First-Past-the-Post
- Simple systems encourages higher turnout + thus gives the incoming government more legitmacy
- Creates a strong government with a majority + a mandate allowing it to enact its manifesto
- Single-member constituency means local areas have representatives dealing with local issues + can be held accountable
- FPTP creates a two-party system more extremist parties are kept out of government
Explain the disadvantages of First-Past-the-Post
- Simplicity of the system results in wasted votes because candidates don’t need a majority - 74% (2024) - need plurality of the vote
- FPTP creates a two-party system many people vote for the candidate standing for their preferred partythan the one who will best represent their constituency
- Encourages tactical voting with voters casting their ballot for the ‘least bad’ of the main parties not their preferred party
- Creates safe seats where an individual’s vote is reduced - goes against idea of equal votes for all
Explain the advantages of proportional systems (AMS + STV)
- Create fewer wasted votes + safe seats which encourages turnout because voters can express their preference
- Voters have a wider choice between parties all of whom could play a role in government policies
- A more proportionate result improves the legitmacy of the government
- It creates a weaker government which must cooperate with other parties to form a broadly popular government
Explain the disadvantages of proportional systems (AMS + STV)
- STV, AMS + SV are all more complicated systems which can led to voter apathy
- Creates governments with smaller or no majorities which can undermine their mandate
- Representatives often have larger constituencies which reduces direct representation of constituents
- Smaller parties with more extremist policies have more influence over government
Explain the advantages of majoritian electoral systems (SV)
- Simple systems encourage higher turnout
- Leads to a clear result + a strong government which increases the government’s legitmacy
- Maintains a strong link between representative and constituency which improves representation
- Encourages major parties to have centrist policies - broader appeal
Explain the disadvantages of majoritian electoral systems (SV)
- Creates more wasted ballots which undermines representative democracy
- The likely domiance of a two-party system decreases voter choice leading to tacitcal voting or spoilt ballots
- Disproportionate results including winner’s bonus which can lead to an ‘elective dictatorship’
- Creates a government which only has the support of a single majority which can create the ‘tyranny of the majority’
2010 General Election Results by party - vote share and seat number
2010 (turnout 65%)
* Conservative - 36.1% vote share - 306 seats (47%)
* Labour - 29% vote share - 258 seats (40%)
* UKIP - 3.1% vote - 0 seats
* DUP - 0.6% vote share - 8 seats (1%)
* Lib Dems - 23% - 62 seats (10%)
2024 General Election Results by party - vote share and seat number
2024 (turnout 60% - 6% (2019)
* Labour - 33.7% v 32.1(2019) - 412 seats (63%)
* Conservative - 24% v 43.6% (2019) - 121 seats (19%)
* Lib Dems - 12% v 11.6%(2019) - 72 seats (11%)
* Reform - 14% - 5 seats (1%)
* Greens - 7% - 4 seats (1%)
Scotland 2021 Election Results by party - vote share and seat number (constituency + regional)
Scotland 2021(turnout 64%)
SNP
* Constituency vote share + seats: 48% vote share - 62 seats
* Regional vote share + seats: 40% vote share - 2 seats
Conservative
* Constituency vote share + seats: 22% vote share - 5 seats
* Regional vote share + seats - 23% - 26 seats
Labour
* Constituency vote share + seats: 22% vote share - 2 seats
* Regional vote share + seats - 18% vote share - 20 seats
Wales 2021 Election Results by party - vote share and seat number (constituency + regional)
Wales 2021 (turnout 47%)
Conservative
* Constituency - 26% vote share - 8 seats
* Regional - 25% vote share - 8 seats
Labour
* Constituency - 40% vote share - 27 seats
* Regional - 36% vote share - 3 seats
Northen Ireland 2021 Election Results by party - vote share and seat number (constituency + regional)
Northen Ireland (turnout 64%)
- DUP - 21% vote share - 25 seats (28%)
- Sinn Fein - 29% vote - 27 seats (30%)
London Mayoral/London Assembly 2024 Election Results
London Mayoral (turnout 40%)
* Labour - Sadiq Khan - 43.8% vote share
* Conservative - Susan Hall - 32.7% vote share
London Assembly
* Labour - 11 seats
* Conservative - 8 seats
All UK Referendums - the topic, the turnout, and the majority vote share
1975 - UK stay or leave the European Community?
* Yes - 67%
* Turnout - 63%
1997 - Should there be a Scottish Parliament?
* Yes - 74%
* Turnout - 60%
1997 - Should Scotland have tax-varying powers?
* Yes - 64%
* Turnout - 60%
1998 - Good Friday Agreement
* Yes - 71%
* Turnout - 81%
2011 - Switch from FPTP to AV
* No - 68%
* Turnout - 42%
2014 - Scottish Independance
* No - 55%
* Turnout - 85%
2016 - Brexit
* Yes - 51%
* Turnout - 72%
Explain the consequences of both the Brexit and Scottish independance referendum in the Supreme Court - due to devolution
- 2022 - Supreme Court ruled that Scotland was not allowed to call a second Brexit refernedum by itself
- 2022 Scotland called for a second independance refernedum - UK government rejected it - Supreme Court ruled Scotland couldn’t hold the referendum
Explain the advantages of using referendums
- Referendums improve the legitmacy of constitutional decisions - pluralist democracy means that the whole population can decide on an issue rather than a few elected officals
- Referendums hold the government’s accountable - it limits the government power because its politically binding so they do not become too powerful
- Referendums can increase participation in democracy - the 2014 Scottish independance (85%) + the Brexit (72%)
- Referendums can help to improve political education - people explained the pros and cons
Explain the disadvantages of using referendums
- Referendums oversimplify very complex issues - led to misinformation + people don’t understand the complexity of the issues
- Refernedums undermine representative democracy - politicians are less accountable for carrying out the result e.g Cameron resigned post-Brexit
- Referendums are called by the government with no rules on when they should be called or on what specific issues - stil in control
- Referendums encourage ‘tyranny of the majority’ - decisions can be carried out which disadvantage the majority of the population - the UK economy lost £140 billion due to Brexit
- Referendums encourage misinformation which depends on the competing resources of the campaigns - Vote Leave argued that the NHS would receive an extra £350 million which was false
- Overuse of referendums leads to voter apathy - AV referendum turnout - 42%
