Electoral systems

Question 1

Functions of UK elections

Answer 1

Representation
Choosing a government
Participation
Influence over policy
Accountability
Citizen education
Legitimacy
Elite recruitment

Question 2

Types of UK elections

Answer 2

General Elections
Elections to the devolved assemblies
Local elections
European Parliament elections
By-elections

Question 3

Electoral systems

Answer 3

Majoritarian system
Plurality system
Proportional representation
Mixed system

Question 4

Features of FPTP

Answer 4

Two-party system
Winner's bonus
Bias to majority party
Discrimination against minority parties
Single-party government

Question 5

Pro FPTP

Answer 5

Simple
Clear outcome
Strong government
Effective representation
Keeps out extremist parties

Question 6

Anti FPTP

Answer 6

Disproportional outcomes
Electoral deserts
Plurality rather than majority support
Votes are of unequal value
Limited choice
Divisive politics
Less effective now than ever before

Question 7

Pro supplementary vote

Answer 7

Winning candidate must achieve broad support

Gives electorate more choice

Question 8

Anti supplementary vote

Answer 8

Winning candidate does not require a majority of first preference votes - least unpopular rather than most popular

Question 9

Pro single transferrable vote

Answer 9

Delivers proportional outcome
Votes largely of equal value
Government likely to have majority support
Gives electorate more choice

Question 10

Anti single transferrable vote

Answer 10

Weakens link between individual MPs and their constituency
Likely to produce a coalition government
Complex

Question 11

Pro additional member system

Answer 11

Proportional
Maintains constituency-MP bond
Less wasted votes
Gives electorate more choice
Simple

Question 12

Anti additional member system

Answer 12

May cause tension between representatives with constituency duties and those without

Question 13

What do referendums impact?

Answer 13

Direct democracy
Parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy
Constitutional Convention

Question 14

Unelected parts of UK polity

Answer 14

Head of state
House of Lords
Judiciary

Question 15

Pro referendums

Answer 15

From of direct democracy
Check the power of the government, making it more responsive to the wishes of the people
Enhanced political participation
Educated people on key political issues
Legitimised important constitutional changes

Question 16

Anti referendums

Answer 16

Undermined representative democracy

Undermined parliamentary sovereignty

Question 17

Features of supplementary vote

Answer 17

Mayors
Voters record first and second preferences
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

Question 18

Features of single transferable vote

Answer 18

Northern Ireland
Representatives elected in large multi-member constituencies - e.g 6 members in each constituency in NI
Voting is preferential and ordinal
A candidate must achieve the Droop quota, with any votes in excess of this quote redistributed on the basis of second preferences
Until all seats are filled, the lowest-placed candidate is eliminated and their second preferences are transferred.

Question 19

Features of additional members system

Answer 19

Mixed electoral system
Devolved bodies
Electors cast a FPTP vote and a vote in a multi-member constituency from a list of candidates, which are allocated proportionally into seats
D’Hondt formula used to allocate regional list seats