Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

UK Politics - Electoral Systems > Electoral Systems > Flashcards

Electoral Systems Flashcards

1
Q

what are the functions of elections

A
  • Representation – MP’s represent the UK
  • Forming a government
  • Gives the new government legitimacy
  • Peaceful transfer of power from old government to a new government
  • Holding the government to account (accountability)
  • Education of the population (people pay attention on the leadup to an election)
  • Participation
  • Influence over policy
  • Elite recruitment - gives MP’s opportunities to get to elite positions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what are aspects of free and fair elections

A
  • Competitive
  • Free elections – freedom of speech and association
  • One person, one vote
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what are the types of elections in the UK

A
  • General Elections – elect all 650 MP’s, and Prime Minister. Happen every 5 years.
  • Elections to the devolved assemblies – held every 5 year, elections for Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Irish Assembly.
  • Local Elections (mayors, police commissioners etc.) – held for 4 years.
  • By-elections – if an MP dies/ resigns a by-election is held to determine a new MP for that constituency
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what are the 4 different electoral systems

A
  • Majoritarian System
  • Plurality System
  • Proportional Representation (PR)
  • Mixed System
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

describe the Majoritarian System simply

A

the winning candidate must win an absolute majority of the vote (i.e. 50% + 1 vote)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

describe the Plurality System simply

A

FPTP is a single-member plurality system in which the winner needs only a plurality of votes (i.e. one more than their closest rival)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

describe Proportional Representation (PR) simply

A

this system produces a close fit between votes and seats (i.e. 40% of votes = 40% of MP’s)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

describe the Mixed System simply

A

combines elements of the plurality or majoritarian system with elements of proportional representation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is a safe seat

A

when the same party wins a constituency over and over again. Rarely changing (however in 2024 many Tory safe seats were lost to Labour and Lib Dems)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what is a marginal seat

A

A constituency where the party has a small majority and so may be won by a different party next election

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is turnout

A

the percentage of registered voters who voted at an election

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is swing

A

the extent of change in support for one party to support for another party from one election to another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

give an example of a winners bonus

A

In 2024 Labour won 34% of the vote, and got 64% of seats (this is winners bonus)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what was the swing in 2024

A

In 2024 there was about 20% swing from Tory to Labour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

features of FPTP

A
  • A two-party system
  • A winner’s bonus
  • Bias to a major party
  • Discrimination against third and smaller parties
  • Single-party government
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is a two-party system

A

FPTP tends to foster a two-party system in which two major parties compete for office. It favours parties that have nationwide support

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is a winner’s bonus

A

the share of seats that the first-placed party wins in excess of it’s share of the vote under FPTP

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what is Bias to a major party

A
  • Tactical voting – Labour benefited from anti-conservative tactical voting between 1997 and 2005. In 2024 other parties benefited from anti-conservative voting e.g. Lib Dems and Green
  • Differences in constituency size
  • Differential turnout – turnout is lower in Labour-held seats: 62% in 2015, compared to 69% in seats won by the conservatives. Labour needed fewer votes to win seats between 1997 and 2010
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what is Discrimination against third and smaller parties

A

discriminates against third parties and smaller parties whose support is not concentrated in particular regions (Reform UK).
* Mechanics – FPTP makes it more difficult for smaller parties to win seats. There is no reward for coming second.
* Psychology – Smaller parties have a credibility problem because voters believe that a vote for them is a ‘wasted vote’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what is a Single-party government

A

FPTP tends to produce single-party majority governments with working parliamentary majorities . coalition governments and minority governments are relatively rare at Westminster.

21
Q

what is Electoral efficiency

A

getting the highest number of seats with the lowest votes

22
Q

in 2024, how many Votes per seat did Labour have

23
Q

in 2024, how many Votes per seat did Conservative have

24
Q

in 2024, how many Votes per seat did Reform UK have

25
in 2024, how many votes and seats did Reform UK receive
In 2024, 4.1 million people voted for Reform UK, but Reform UK has 5 MP’s
26
what is a working majority
the MP’s who can actually get in to parliament to vote (if someone was sick they couldn’t come in)
27
what is a minority government
a government consisting of members of one political party which does not have an absolute majority of seats.
28
what is a coalition government
a government consisting of two or more political parties, usually with an absolute majority of seats in parliament, formed after an agreement on policy and ministerial posts.
29
what is a majority government
a government consisting of members of one political party which has an absolute majority of seats
30
give an example of a coalition government
in 2015, Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition
31
what is the Supplementary Vote (SV) used for in the UK
used to elect mayors and police and crime commissioners
32
describe how the Supplementary Vote (SV) works
* The voter records their first and second preferences on the ballot paper (they don’t have to record a second choice if they don’t want to) * If no candidate wins a majority of first preferences, all but the top two candidates are eliminated and the second preference votes for the two remaining candidates are added to their first preference votes. * The candidate with the highest total is elected
33
advantages of the Supplementary Vote (SV)
- The candidate must achieve broad support giving them legitimacy - Small party voters (Green/Reform UK) use their first preference to express their allegiance and their second preference to indicate which major party candidate (Labour/Tory) they prefer. - The votes of people who use both their first and second preferences to support minor parties do not influence the election outcome
34
disadvantages of the Supplementary Vote (SV)
- The winning candidate may be elected without winning a majority of votes - The system would not deliver a proportional outcome if used for general elections - The least unpopular, rather than most popular, candidate may be elected
35
what is the Single Transferable Vote (STV) used for in the UK
used in northern Ireland for assembly elections
36
describe how the Single Transferable Vote (STV) works
* Representatives are elected in large multi-member constituency. In northern Ireland assembly elections, 18 constituencies each elect 6 members * Voting is preferential – electors indicate their preferences by writing ‘1…2…3…etc’ next to each candidate * Voting is ordinal – electors can vote for as many or as few candidates as they like * A candidate must reach a quota in order to be elected. Any votes in excess of this quota are redistributed on the basis of second preferences. * If no candidate reaches the quota on the first count, the lowest-placed candidate is eliminated and their second preferences are transferred. This continues until the number of seats is filled by candidates meeting the quota.
37
advantages of the Single Transferable Vote (STV)
- It delivers proportional outcomes and ensures that votes are largely of equal value - The government is likely to consist of a party or group of parties that win over 50% of the vote - Voters choose between a range of candidates, including different candidates from the same party, meaning there is a greater choice
38
disadvantages of the Single Transferable Vote (STV)
- It can be less accurate in translating votes into seats than proportional representation list systems - Large multi-member constituencies weaken the link between individual MP’s and their constituency - It is likely to produce a coalition government that may be unstable and can give disproportional influence to minor parties that hold the balance of power - The counting process is lengthy and complex
39
what is the Additional Member System (AMS) used for in the UK
– is a mixed electoral system which includes elements of FPTP and the regional list system of proportional representation (used to elect the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, London Assembly, General Elections in Germany
40
describe how the Additional Member System (AMS) works
* A number of seats are elected using First Past the Post (FPTP) in single-member constituencies: o 73 out of 129 members (57%) in the Scottish Parliament o 40 out of 60 members (67%) in the Welsh Parliament * The rest are elected as additional members using proportional representation in multi-member regions: o 56 out of 129 (43%) in Scotland o 20 out of 60 (33%) in Wales * Voters get two votes: o One for a candidate in their local constituency (FPTP) o One for a political party on a regional list (proportional representation) * Parties create a closed list of candidates for the regional vote: o Voters choose a party, not individual candidates o Candidates are elected in the order they appear on the list * Regional list seats are used to make the overall result more proportional: o A party that wins many constituency seats may get fewer list seats o This balances the total number of seats with the share of votes * To allocate list seats, each party’s vote total is divided by: o The number of seats it already has plus one (D’Hondt formula) o The highest result gets the next seat, and the process repeats * In London Assembly elections, a party must get at least 5% of the vote to win list seats o There is no minimum threshold in Scotland or Wales
41
advantages of the Additional Member System (AMS)
- It combines the best features of FPTP and proportional representation, e.g. balancing the desirability of constituency representation with that fairness of outcomes. - Results are broadly proportional and votes are less likely to be wasted. - Voters have greater choice. Split-ticket voting is allowed. - Some parties have used the system to improve their representation of women: e.g. by ‘zipping’ – alternating male and female candidates on party lists. - Votes are easy to count and it is not difficult for voters to understand how the outcome is reached
42
disadvantages of the Additional Member System (AMS)
- It creates two categories of representative, one with constituency duties and one without. This may create tensions within the legislative assembly. - Parties have significant control over the closed lists used to elect additional members and voters cannot choose between candidates from the same party - Smaller parties are often under-represented because in many multi-member seats, only a few representatives are elected. Larger parties are also over-represented if other votes are split evenly between many small parties. - Proportional outcomes are less likely where the number of additional members is low, as in the Welsh Assembly.
43
what is a closed list system
voters choose parties not candidates. The parties determine the order in which candidates appear on the list.
44
what is an open list system
voters choose a candidate who aligns with a party or are independent
45
how do electoral systems impact participation
FPTP decreases participation due to wasted votes. PR increases participation by about 10%
46
how do electoral systems impact government
FPTP usually leads to single party governments. PR usually leads to a multi-party coalition.
47
how do electoral systems impact party representation
FPTP increases major party representation. PR increases minor party representation.
48
how do electoral systems impact voter choice
FPTP decreases voter choice. PR increases voter choice as more parties tend to run for election. In PR less tactical voting = more choice.

UK Politics - Electoral Systems (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions