majoritarian electoral systems 3.1 Flashcards
what is SV
The voter makes two choices (hence the term ‘supplementary’). If one candidate obtains over 50% on the first vote then the contest is complete. If no candidate attains this level, all but the top two candidates are eliminated. Then the supplementary choices are re-distributed and whoever gets most votes from the remaining two, wins the seat
what are the advantages of SV electoral system
- majority result
- voter choice
- simple system
- extremist party
how is ‘majority result’ an advantage of the SV electoral system
gets clear majority which shows the legitimacy of the candidate
how is ‘voter choice’ an advantage of the SV electoral system
-have more choice than FPTP
- can utilise there two choices
how is ‘simple system’ an advantage of the SV electoral system
relatively understandable (unlike STV and AMS)
how is ‘extremist party’ an advantage of the SV electoral system
as majority is needed, less likely for extremist parties to take over
what are the disadvantages of a SV electoral system
- two-party dominance
- false majority
- wasted votes
- tactical voting
how is ‘two-party dominance’ an disadvantage of the SV electoral system
if there is not a majority, all candidates taken off except for two top ones.
- third party members aren’t as important
how is ‘false majority’ an disadvantage of the SV electoral system
- after second round, the votes are only counted for those who were voted in the first round, meaning it is not truly democratic
how is ‘wasted votes’ an disadvantage of the SV electoral system
- people’s voices aren’t heard due to the immediate majority won
how is ‘tactical voting’ an disadvantage of the SV electoral system
tactical voting means more people are tempted to vote against someone they don’t want to win rather than a plausible candidate
