PAL test 1 Flashcards
What is representation in a representative democracy?
a democracy that is not run by the people but by whom they select to represent themselves.
Political participation and why is it important in a fair election?
it protects political freedoms and rights and does this through how it views peoples opinions and makes sure everyone’s voice is heard and respected.
What is First past the post?
a voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins even without an absolute majority.
What affects does FPTP have on representation?
1) disproportional representation: parties win more seats even without a majority depending on their size.
2) two-party dominance: favours large parties leaving smaller parties with very little seats.
3) wasted votes: many people’s votes don’t have an affect on the final outcome of the election.
Fair elections include.
- maximise political participation.
- protect political rights/freedoms.
- administered by independent authority.
- provides accountability for elected officials.
How to majoritarian groups operate?
operates in single member electorates and use their numerical majority to win elections, pass laws, and dominate decision-making, often limiting minority influence.
What is a weakness and benefit of majoritarian groups?
- benefit is its implementation of the
majority rule. - disadvantage is how it operates via single
member electorates.
Disadvantages of FPTP.
wasted votes and two-party dominance.
Advantages of FPTP.
simplicity/speed, stable government, and direct local representation.
Preferential voting.
is an electoral system where seats are allocated based on the percentage of votes each party or candidate receives, ensuring fairer representation.
Advantage of PV.
Absolute majority, elimination of vote splitting, minimal vote wastage.
Disadvantages of PV
Can lead to informal votes, complexity.
Vote splitting.
Vote splitting occurs when multiple candidates or parties with similar policies or ideologies divide the votes of a shared voter base, reducing the chances of any one of them winning.
Preference deals.
usually minor parties exchange votes to larger parties in exchange for a voice at parliament.
PV affects on representation (advantages).
reduces vote splitting and strategic voting, increased rep for smaller parties, encourages more diverse candidates.
How does STV-PR uphold representation
through quotas as they creat a hung parliment creating a multi-party senate
Advantages of compulsary voting
Enhanced voter engagement, better informed citizens, and strenghthening democratic principles
Disadvantages of compulsory voting
Disintrested voters and freedom concerns.
What is ‘one vote, one value’?
the term refers to how each citizen should have equal voting power
What is malapportionment?
it is a feature of an electoral system that says that some votes are worth more than others usually due to the population of the voting area.
three reasons why the house of representation is seen to not effectively represent its electors.
short cycles, lack of proportional representation , winner takes all system
Define electoral system
the set of rules and procedures that determine how votes are cast, counted, and translated into political representation.
Discuss how recent federal or state elections upheld political representation.
2022 federal election:
positve-increase rep for smaller parties (green gained 3 seats)
negative- compulsory voting caused disinterested voters leading to the lowest participation rate (under 90%) since 1924.
What are 2 consequences of the constitutional and electoral legislation Amendment act 2021
Stricter Party Registration Requirements – The act increased the number of members required for a political party to be registered from 500 to 1,500. Changes to How Party Names Are Used – The act restricted the ability of new political parties to use names that were too similar to existing parties, preventing confusion among voters.
what was constitutional and electoral legislation Amendment act 2021
an Australian law that introduced reforms to electoral and constitutional processes, primarily focusing on electoral integrity and transparency.
