p. 281- 292 Elections & the Electoral System

Question 1

Electoral System:

by which votes people cast are translated into…

Answer 1

the representation of political parties int eh House of COmmons

Question 2

The minimum voting age was dropped form 21 to 18 in…

Most restrictions on WHO (Aboriginal people, women etc) could vote were removed in…

Answer 2

1970

1960

Question 3

The right to vote is granted constitutionality through the

Answer 3

charter of rights and freedoms

Question 4

How many seats are there in the HOC..

Seats are typically allocated to provinces based on…

Answer 4

• 388

- population

Question 5

To become a candidate to vote you require:

1. ____ signatures from eligible voters on your________
2. ______depostit
3. Name an _____ ________ who will….

Answer 5

To become a candidate to vote you require:

1. 100 signatures from eligible voters on your NOMINATION
2. $1000 depostit
3. Name an OFFICIAL AGENT who will report all of your official expenses

Question 6

The independent elections oversight body in Alberta is called:
Elections…

Answer 6

Alberta

Shocker…

Question 7

Who sets the boundaries of ridings?

Answer 7

independent commission governed by Elections CANADA

Question 8

Gerrymandering is the…

Answer 8

drawing of boundaries for partisan advantage

Question 9

To register a political party:
1.
2.
3.

Answer 9

1. 250 voters must support the party’s application
2. Party must run at least one candidate in each election
3. have a leader, 3 officers and auditor and a chief agent

Question 10

Attempts to ban any political party would likely be struck down by…

Answer 10

the charter of rights and freedoms bitches

Question 11

Which Ontario Premier called an early election when they held a lot of public favour only two years after being elected? How did that go? Why?

Answer 11

David Peterson- they said, “nay,nay”, because there were no pressing issues it was seen as a transparent attempt to take advantage of popularity and well…he was not longer popular.

Question 12

In single member plurality (SMP) , plurality means the winner requires

Answer 12

more votes than any other candidate in their riding, even if they do not gain the majority

Question 13

Single member plurality system means electing ___ ___ from each riding. Those who….

Answer 13

Single member plurality system means electing one representative from each riding. Those who get the most votes wins (regardless of majority)

Question 14

The HOC is based on..

Answer 14

Representation by population

Question 15

the ______ requires district lines must be redrawn every…to account for….

Answer 15

constitution requires district line be redrawn every 10 years to account for population changes

Question 16

An electoral system by which the proportion of seats a party receives in the legislative body reflects the proportion of votes the party obtained.
Types:

Answer 16

Proportional Representation

Types= List and Single Transferable Vote System

Question 17

An electoral system whereby voters cast one vote for the party of their choice and one for the candidate they prefer

Answer 17

Mixed member proportional system

Question 18

The strengths of SMP (FPP) are:

1) it is easy to …
2) prevents …
3) less ….,
4) vote for the _____, rather than the _______,
5) tends toward pan-Canadian parties b/c …

Answer 18

The strengths of SMP (FPP) are: 1) it is easy to obtain majority governments,

2) prevents extremist groups from seizing power,
3) less complicated voting system,
4) vote for the person, rather than the party,
5) tends toward pan-Canadian parties b/c it makes majority attainable.

Question 19

system where voters have a numbered ballot where they rank their candidates in order of who they would prefer to win rather than …..

Answer 19

Alternative vote system:
system where voters have a numbered ballot where they rank their candidates in order of who they would prefer to win rather than CHOOSING ONE CANDIDATE WITH A TRADITIONAL “X”.
-This produces a majority of votes needed to be elected. If there is no clear winner with more than 50%, the lowest initial candidate would be dropped off of the ballot and their votes would be redistributed based on the remaining rankings on the ballot.

Question 20

ALTERNATIVE VOTE SYSTEM produces a…

Answer 20

majority of votes needed to be elected

Question 21

Alternative vote system:

If there is no clear winner with more than ____, the lowest initial candidate would be

Answer 21

Alternative vote system:
If there is no clear winner with more than 50%, the lowest initial candidate would be…dropped off of the ballot and their votes would be redistributed based on the remaining rankings on the ballot.

Question 22

True or false:
Voter turnout tends to be somewhat higher in countries with PR systems.
Why or Why not?

Answer 22

True- because every vote counts towards the number of representatives a party gains

Question 23

PR systems often give more….and feature a higher …in legislative bodies

Answer 23

PR systems often give more choices to voters and feature a higher proportion of women and minorities members in legislative bodies

Question 24

Almost always feature governments based on coalition of parties

Answer 24

PR systems

Question 25

Preferential voting:

whereby a voter ranks candidates in order of preference. IF a majority is not received by first preference then…

Answer 25

the second preferences of the candidate with the least votes are added to the votes of the other candidates . This process continues until one candidate has a majority.

Question 26

Review notes on Single-transferable vote system and

Answer 26

list system as they do not go well with notes

Question 27

Combine proportionality of PR systems with the constituency representation of single member districts. The two dominant types are _________ and ___________.
example:…

Answer 27

Mixed Member proportional system

• superpostion
• corrective
  ex: Germany 50% List and 50% FPP