Electoral Systems Flashcards
What are the functions of elections?
Representation Choosing a government Participation Influence over policy Accountability legitimacy
What is legitimacy?
Rightfulness: a political system is legitimate when it is based on the consent of the people
What are some types of elections in the UK?
- general elections
- elections to the devolved assemblies
- local elections
- European Parliament elections
- by election
What is a majoritarian system?
Where the winning candidate must win an absolute majority of votes cast in a single member constituency. I.e. 50% + 1 vote FPTP
What is a single member plurality system?
Where the candidate with the most votes in a single member constituency wins
What is proportional representation?
Uses multi member constituencies in which a formula is used to match the % of seats won by each party to the % of votes they won.
What is a mixed system?
Where a proportion of representatives are elected under a majoritarian/plurality in single member constituencies and the others are elected as “additional members” using a proportional system in multi member constituencies
Where is FPTP used?
In general elections
When is Supplementary vote used?
Mayor of London, police and crime commissioners
When is regional list used?
European Parliament elections in GB, Scottish Parliament, London assembly
When is single transferable vote used in the UK?
Local and European Parliament elections, local elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland
When is additional member system used?
Scottish Parliament, welsh and London assemblies
What % of the vote did alasdair McDonnell receive in Belfast south 2015?
24.5% of the vote
What are the features of FPTP?
- two party system
- a winners bonus
- bias to a major party
- single party government
What was the swing in the 1955 general election?
2%
