Electoral Systems Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is meant by the term representation?
Election results represent the person/party that people want in power due to their beliefs, policies and ideals
What is meant by the term government legitimacy?
Whoever gets the majority of the votes gets elected ensuring they’re legitimate by gaining the most seats in Parliament
What is meant by the term accountability?
Elected party follows through on the promises they made in their manifesto during the election
What is meant by the term participation?
Actually learning about current events and political parties in this country before going off to vote in elections
What is meant by the term influence?
The prevailing political view in a constituency
What’s a safe seat?
A constituency where a specific party will always have a majority of the vote
What is a marginal seat?
A parliamentary constituency where the representative wins by a small margin of votes
What is proportionality?
An electoral system where the number of seats gained in Parliament reflects the proportion of votes a party earns
What are by-elections?
An election held in a single constituency in order to fill a vacancy
What is a constituency?
A specific geographical area where voters can elect a representative
What is a coalition?
A temporary alliance between different political parties that merge to achieve a majority in an election
What is a mandate?
An official command/requirement/order from someone with authoritative power
What is an electoral desert?
An area with little to no political voice as voters feel their votes aren’t important
What is the First Past the Post system?
An electoral system by which the candidate with the most seats in Parliament wins the election (winner takes all)
“First Past the Post is no longer fit for purpose.” How far do you agree?
Answer:
a) What is meant by “fit for purpose”
b) What is meant by “no longer”
a) “fit for purpose” is an election that provides legitimacy, representation, stability, accountability and participation
b) “no longer” implies the political world has become more fragmented; we’re no longer a two-party system
