EXTRA-Types of Electoral system

Question 1

What are the two general categories of electoral systems?

Answer 1

• majoritarian systems

- proportional systems

Question 2

What is a majoritarian system?

Answer 2

majoritarian systems use member constituencies in which only one representative is elected to serve the area. The candidate that gets a majority is elected

Question 3

What is a proportional system?

Answer 3

proportional systems use multi member constituencies in which a number of representatives are elected to serve a very large area. These are designed to ensure that the seats a party obtains in the legislature broadly reflects its share of the vote

Question 4

What is plurality or majoritarian systems based on the idea of?

Answer 4

They were based on the idea of one elected representative per constituency

Question 5

What are majoritarian systems not designed to produce?

Answer 5

they are not designed to produce a proportional result in which parties gain seats in relation to votes they obtain. They are designed to produce a clear winner

Question 6

What do supporters of the majoritarian system believe?

Answer 6

that governmental stability is more important than proportionality

Question 7

What is the distinction between plurality and majoritarian systems?

Answer 7

In plurality systems, the candidate who gets a plurality of the votes is elected; i.e. they get more votes than the other candidate. In majority ones, the candidate who gets the majority of the votes is elected; i.e. they get more than half the votes cast

Question 8

What method do Plurality/Majoritarian systems include?

Answer 8

FPTP
the Double Ballot (french elections)
the Alternative Vote
the Supplementary Vote

Question 9

What do proportional systems make use of?

Answer 9

they make use of multi member constituencies or districts in which several representatives are elected

Question 10

What are proportional systems designed to achieve?

Answer 10

they are designed to achieve dar greater proportionality than plurality/majoritarian systems

Question 11

Under a proportional system what does the number of seats that a part gets in the legislature a reflection of?

Answer 11

it is a reflection of its share of the popular vote

Question 12

What 3 groups can proportional systems be divided into?

Answer 12

-list systems
-mixed systems
-hybrid systems with a STV
(single transferable vote)

Question 13

Which former Labour Home Secretary set out four useful criteria for the Jenkins inquiry that was set up by the Blair government to examine the most appropriate way of electing our MPs?

Answer 13

Jack Straw

Question 14

What did Jack Straw, the former Labour Home Secretary set our four useful criteria for?

Answer 14

the Jenkins inquiry that was set up by the Blair government to examine the most appropriate way of electing our MPs

Question 15

What is the Jenkins inquiry?

Answer 15

this was set up by the Blair administration to examine the most appropriate way of electing our MPs

Question 16

What were the 4 criteria that Jack Straw set our as former Labour Home Secretary following the Jenkins Inquiry?

Answer 16

• stable government
• broad proportionality
• link between honourable members and geographical constituencies
• an extension of voter choice

Question 17

Why is the choice of electoral system important?

Answer 17

It raises issues about the nature of representative government and the purpose of elections

Question 18

What does the electoral system determine? (3)

Answer 18

it determines the nature of party systems, the fate of individual parties and the formation of governments

Question 19

What did one report on the subject of electoral systems note?

Answer 19

“there can be nothing more fundamental in a democracy than proposals to change an electoral system”

Question 20

What is representative government based on the idea of?

Answer 20

representative government is based on the idea that the elected legislature represents the will of the people

Question 21

Which category of electoral system caters to all shades of opinion including the minority?

Answer 21

the proportional systems

Question 22

Why do some people not think that a system should arithmetically reflect the way the electorate vote?

Answer 22

as in some views, an election very broadly represents the swing in the public mood and it is important to produce a strong government based on an effective parliamentary majority

Question 23

What does the FPTP system in Britain allow government ?

Answer 23

this allows the government to develop coherent and consistent policies without facing the risk of regular defeats in the legislature

Question 24

What is the politics of coalition?

Answer 24

this refers to a situation that arises when no single party has an overall majority in the legislature necessitating discussion and compromise in order to form a government of more than one party