Electoral Systems

Question 1

Legitimacy

Answer 1

Rightfulness: a political system is legitimate when it is based on the consent of the people. Political actions are also legitimate if they follow from agreed laws and procedures.

Question 2

Mandate

Answer 2

An authoritative instruction; the doctrine of the mandate gives the party that wins a general election the authority to implement it manifesto commitments.

Question 3

Manifesto

Answer 3

A document in which a political party sets out its policy programme at an election.

Question 4

By-election

Answer 4

A one-off election that takes place in an individual constituency when a vacancy arises between scheduled elections.

Question 5

Constituency

Answer 5

A geographical area that elects one or more representatives to a legislative assembly.

Question 6

Majoritarian system

Answer 6

An electoral system in which the winning candidate must achieve an absolute majority of votes cast in a single-member constituency.

Question 7

Single-member plurality system

Answer 7

An electoral system in which the candidate with the most votes in a single-member constituency wins.

Question 8

District magnitude

Answer 8

The number of representatives elected from a particular constituency.

Question 9

Mixed system

Answer 9

An electoral system where a proportion of representatives are elected under a majoritarian/plurality system in single-member constituencies, and the others are elected as ‘additional members’ using a proportional system in multi-member constituencies.

Question 10

Proportional representation (PR)

Answer 10

An electoral system using multi-member constituencies in which an electoral formula is used to match the percentage of seats won by each party to the percentage of votes they won.

Question 11

Safe seat

Answer 11

A constituency in which the incumbent party has a large majority, and which is usually retained by the same political party at election after election.

Question 12

Marginal seat

Answer 12

A constituency where the incumbent party has a small majority and which may thus be won by a different party at the next election.

Question 13

Swing

Answer 13

The extent of change in support for one part to support for another party from one election to another.

Question 14

Turnout

Answer 14

The percentage of registered voters who voted at an election.

Question 15

Winners’ bonus

Answer 15

The share of seats that the first-placed party wins in excess of its share for the vote under FPTP. The system exaggerates the support received by the most popular giving it more seats than is proportional to the number of votes it received, thus boosting its majority in parliament.

Question 16

Tactical voting

Answer 16

Voting for the candidate most likely to defeat the voter’s least favourite candidate.

Question 17

Wasted vote

Answer 17

A vote for a losing candidate in a single member constituency, to a vote for a winning candidate that was surplus to the plurality required for victory.

Question 18

Adversarial politics

Answer 18

A situation often found in two-party systems in which the governing party is confronted by an opposition party that offers a different policy programme an is hostile towards the government even when in broad agreement with it.

Question 19

Split-ticket voting

Answer 19

The practice of voting for candidates from different parties in an election where an elector is permitted to cast more than one vote.

Question 20

Electoral reform

Answer 20

Changes made to an electoral system or a change from one electoral system to an alternative. In Britain, the term commonly refers to the campaign to replace FPTP with PR.

Question 21

Referendum

Answer 21

A vote on a single issue put to a public ballot by the government.