Electoral systems Flashcards
what is FPTP system?
a system where the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins
what type of system does FPTP create and where has it been used
it creates a plurality system where to win a seat a candidate only requires one more vote than the other, meaning they dont secure an absolute majority
- been used in GE
- been used in local council elections in england and wales
what is supplementary vote (SV)?
if the candidate gets more than half the votes in the first round (50%) they win but if no one has a majority, the two candidates with the most votes move to a second round and voters’ second choice votes are counted to help decide the winner
what type of system does SV create and where has it been used?
it creates a majoritarian system as it attempts to secure an absolute majority for the winning candidate
- used to elect the london mayor
what is single transferable vote (STV)?
voters rank candidates in order of preference and candidates need to reach a certain quota before they can be elected. if a candidate gets enough votes, they win and their extra votes are passed onto other candidates but if no one reaches the quota, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes go to the voters next choice. this process continues until all the positions are filled
what type of system does STV create and where has it been used?
creates a proportional system that attempts to allocate seats in direct proportion to votes cast; which has been the cause for multi member constituencies
- been used for northern ireland
- been used for scottish local gov
how has FPTP impacted negatively on the type of gov appointed?
- since 1945, always resulted in the winning party securing less than half of the popular votes
- in 2015, the winning cons party was elected with just 36.9% of the popular vote, meaning that 63.1% of the voters had voted against the governing party
- in 2005, labour won the election with only a majority of 66 from only 35.2% of the vote, which questions the legitimacy of the gov
how does FPTP impact party representation?
other parties get fewer seats than their vote share
- at the 2015 GE, the cons won 50.8% of the seats despite only winning 36.8% of the votes, while the independence party won only 0.2% of the seats despite winning 12.6% of the vote
how does FPTP impact voter choice?
- voters in safe seats may feel as though their votes are being wasted because they have no chance of realistically influencing the outcome
- the Electoral Reform Society estimated that in the 2019 election, 70.8% of the voters were casting “wasted” votes
- marginal seats may result in tactical voting as for example, parties like Green party or Libdems may have a high percentage of votes cast but because they are spread across many constituencies(none of which they are likely to receive the most votes in), they end up winning much fewer seats than their vote share
- less likely to generate a parliament that is demographically representative (up to 50% of voters in the Uk are represented by MP’s they didnt vote for)
- 208/650 MP’s are women and only 52 are BME
what are positives of FPTP?
- quick, easy and clear as voters are clearly given their choices and who they have to choose from
- excludes extremist parties
What is Additional Member System (AMS)?
where has AMS been used?
what are positives of AMS?
AMS combines elements of FPTP and proportional representation; some members are elected using FPTP and others are elected through PR where seats are allocated to make the overall result more reflective of the total votes each party received.
It has been used to elect the scottish parliament and the welsh parliament
- easy to count and straightforward for voters to understand
- all outcomes have had high levels of public acceptance and legitimacy
how does AMS impact party representation?
- the counting rule used to allocate top up seats favour the two largest parties in all three cases
- votes going to very small parties are unlikely to secure any representation
- doesnt ensure proportionality overall, for example, in the parliament election, SNP won 48.8% of the seats on 41.7% of the popular vote, compared to 81% of seats it would have won under FPTP
how does AMS impact the type of gov created?
- in order to form a single party gov, a party must have broad popularity across the whole country, not just in concentrated pockets
how does STV impact voter choice?
- less votes are wasted
- there are no safe seats under STV , so parties must campaign everywhere, not just in marginal seats
referendums for participation?
- the scottish independence referendum had a turnout of 84.6% which is higher than the 65% turnout in the 2010 UK GE
what are the advantages of referendums?
- key constitutional changes are made through referendums(exit of the EU)
- referendums can force citizens to educate themselves on the particular issue to ensure that they are adequately making a decision that will affect everybody
what are the disadvantages of referendums?
- there could be emotional voting based on misinformation( brexit and immigration)
- tyranny of the majority (high proportion of people who stand against the issue)
- referendums are not legally binding
- slim margins impact the result of the referendum, affecting the legitimacy of the result (brexit result = 51% vs 49% )
