Lecture 5 Flashcards
Elective principle (USA
leaders should be elected directly by the people unless there is some good reason not to do so.
Numerous elective offices at the local, state, and national levels and for all three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial
Appointive principle (Netherlands)
officers are filled by appointment unless there is a good reason not to do so.
Only representatives to legislative bodies (municipal, provincial, national and european) and water control boards are elected by the people
Elections
heart of representative democracy, primary means for voters to connect with government.
Election campaigns
opportunity for a dialogue between voters and parties, society and state.
3 major structural challenges of Elections:
1 While they are supposed to resolve the question of who governs, they can cause tensions and stresses and heighten the chances for political, economic, social and ethnic conflict.
2 Promoting electoral integrity / countering electoral fraud
3 Making sure all voters are given equal role in elections and that their votes are fairly reflected in the results.
There is no electoral formula
4 main electoral systems
1 Single-member plurality
2 Proportional representation
3 Majority
4 Mixed systems
Single-member plurality
An electoral system based on districts that each have one representative and in which the winner is the candidate with the most votes
simplest system
one of the best records at producing stable majority governments
one of the weakest in turning the share of votes into an equal share of seats
Proportional representation
Most common electoral system in the world
Assigns seats in a legislature in proportion to the number of votes that each party wins in an election
Two variations: party list system (most common) and single transferable vote
Majority
Winning candidate wins the majority of the votes.
Done with a two-round election (or run-off election), if one candidate wins more than 50% they win the election
Mixed systems
Parallel voting ( or MMM- mixed member majority) - two separate elections, voters cast two ballots for a candidate and a party.
MMP (mixed member proportional) - uses a mix of SMP and PR. In Germany voters cast two votes on the same ballot, one to elect representatives and another for parties running in states. Ideally each party wins the same proportion of votes.
Referendum advantages
1 Provide a channel by which governments can hear directly from voters rather than via elected officials
2 Help improve voter understanding of issues at stake and increase confidence in political abilities and understanding
3 Inform politicians about voter opinions
4 Allows the gov. to put an issue to the people when it is unable to reach a decision itself
Referendum disadvantages
1 Expensive to organize and hold
2 Issues may be too complex for a yes/no choice
3 Voters much do research to fully comprehend the issue
4 Timing is critical
5 Too many referendums can tire voters
Referendum
a vote of the electorate on a limited issue of public policy such as a constitutional amendment
Electoral authoritarianism
An arrangement in which a regime gives the appearance of being democratic, and offering voters a choice, while concealing its authoritarian qualities
Ballot stuffing
A form of electoral fraud in which a person limited by law to a single vote is able to cast multiple votes in a single booth or to vote in multiple locations
