UK elections

Question 1

what are the disadvantages of FPTP?

Answer 1

minority rule, political diversity suppressed, unequal votes, only marginal seats matter, millions misrepresented, wasted votes, tactical voting, severed link between public support and power, wrong winner elections, confrontational politics,

Question 2

what percentage of the votes and seats did Green, Lib Dem’s and UKIP receive in 2017 combined?

Answer 2

11% of votes and 2% of seats

Question 3

with what percentage of the vote did the conservatives win a majority in 2015?

Answer 3

37%

Question 4

how many votes did it take the green party vs SNP to winn1 seat in 2017

Answer 4

28000 votes for SNP and over 500000 votes for Green party

Question 5

in how many of the last 4 general elections did at least 50% of the vote go to a losing candidate?

Answer 5

3 out of 4

Question 6

what percentage of votes were wasted in 2015?

Answer 6

74.4%

Question 7

how many voters planned to vote tactically in 2017?

Answer 7

20-30%

Question 8

what has happened in most general elections since WW11?

Answer 8

at least one major party has gained votes but lost seats or visa versa

Question 9

examples of wrong winner elections?

Answer 9

1951 and 1974

Question 10

examples of hung parliaments

Answer 10

2010 and 2017

Question 11

how often is there an unplanned election?

Answer 11

1 unplanned election every 10 years

Question 12

advantages of FPTP?

Answer 12

more likely to produce majority, governments easy to vote out, vests power in people not political elites by reducing unaccountable post election stitch ups, creates direct accountability for individual representatives avoiding ‘guaranteed places through party lists, no such thing as safe seat, small parties can be successful without winning seats in parliament

Question 13

example of governments being voted out in FPTP

Answer 13

Labour in 1979 and conservatives in 1997

Question 14

example of safe seats not existing

Answer 14

break down of red wall 2019

Question 15

example of small parties being successful without electoral success

Answer 15

UKIP and Brexit

Question 16

arguments for referendums having enhanced representative democracy in the UK

Answer 16

introduced direct democracy, checked power of the government, enhanced political participation, educated people on key issues, legitimised important constitutional changes

Question 17

arguments against referendums having enhanced representative democracy in the UK

Answer 17

undermined representative democracy, undermined parliamentary sovereignty, governments take advantage of their authority to decide whether and when to call a referendum, turnout often poor so decisions taken on base of votes cast by a minority of eligible voters, referendum campaigns have been ill-informed and distorted by inaccurate claims

Question 18

result, turnout and consequences of Scottish independence referendum 2014

Answer 18

result: No (yes 45%, no 55%)
turnout: 84.6%
promised increased devolution in ‘no’ campaign
16 & 17 year olds could vote
SNP want another referendum

Question 19

result, turnout and consequences of Uk alternative vote referendum 2011

Answer 19

result: No (Yes 32%, No 68%)
turnout: 42.2%
part of coalition agreement

Question 20

examples of lies told in Brexit referendum

Answer 20

“Two Thirds of British Jobs in manufacturing are dependent on demand from Europe” (Alan Johnson for remain) outdated figure, more likely 17%
“Turkey is joining the EU” (vote leave publicity) no prospect of the country joining - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said they will never be part of the EU

Question 21

result, turnout and consequences of Northern Ireland Border Poll 1973

Answer 21

Result: Yes (yes 98%, no 2%)
Turnout: 58.7%
Question was if Northern Ireland should remain part of UK
Boycotted by nationalists

Question 22

result, turnout and consequences of Greater London Authority Referendum

Answer 22

Result: Yes (yes 72%, no 28%)
Turnout: 34.6%
As a result Mayor of London and London Assembly created in 2000

Question 23

what is the additional member system used for?

Answer 23

used to elect Scottish parliament, Welsh Assembly and London Assembly

Question 24

how does the additional member system work?

Answer 24

proportion of seats elected using FPTP in single-member constituencies, small number elected in multi member constituencies using regional list system. Electors cast two votes - one for favoured candidate and one for favoured party. For regional list seats, political parties draw up a list of their candidates and decide the order in which they will be elected. It is a closed list system. Regional list seats are allocated using the d’Hondt formula on a corrective basis to ensure the total number of seats in the assembly is proportional to the number of votes won.

Question 25

advantages of additional member system

Answer 25

combines PR and FPTP, votes less likely to be wasted, greater choice - split ticket voting allowed, can be used to improve representation of women, votes east to count and easy for voters to understand

Question 26

disadvantages of AMS system

Answer 26

creates two categories of representative, parties have significant control over closed lists, smaller parties often under represented because in multimember seats only a few representatives are elected, proportional outcomes less likely where numbers of additional members is low

Question 27

example of AMS in action

Answer 27

2016 SNP dominated constituency contests (won 59/73) but added only 4 list seats

Question 28

where is the single transferable vote used?

Answer 28

in Northern Ireland for elections to the assembly, local government, the European parliament, local elections in Scotland and general elections in Republic of Ireland

Question 29

how does STV work?

Answer 29

representatives are elected in large multi member constituencies, voting is preferential and ordinal, a candidate must achieve a quota to be elected and any excess votes are redistributed. Quota calculated (total valid poll/seats available+1)+1. If no candidate reaches quota on first count lowest place eliminated and second preferences added

Question 30

advantages of STV

Answer 30

delivers proportional outcomes, votes of equal value, government likely to consist of a party that got over 50% of the vote, voters choose between a range of candidates

Question 31

disadvantages of STV

Answer 31

less accurate in translating votes to seats than PR list systems, large multi-member constituencies weaken link between MPs and constituency, likely to produce coalition government - unstable and gives disproportional influence to minor parties, counting process lengthy and complex

Question 32

where is the supplementary vote used?

Answer 32

used to elect mayors and police commissioners

Question 33

how does the supplementary vote work

Answer 33

voter records 1st and 2nd preference, if no candidate wins a majority of first preferences all but top 2 candidates are eliminated and second preference votes for remaining candidates are added to their first preference, candidate with highest total elected

Question 34

advantages of SV

Answer 34

winning candidate must achieve broad support so greater legitimacy, supporters of small parties can show allegiance without wasting votes, votes of people who used both preferences for minor parties don’t affect outcome

Question 35

disadvantages of SV

Answer 35

winning candidate may be elected without majority of second preference votes if not used effectively, candidate does not need majority of first preference votes to be elected, least unpopular rather than most popular may be elected, would not produce proportional outcome in big elections

Question 36

How many seats did the SNP win in the Scottish parliament elections 2021

Answer 36

62/73 constituency seats
+2 list seats
(with 44% of vote)

Question 37

How much of the vote did the Green party receive in the 2021 elections to Scottish Parliament.

Answer 37

4.7%

Question 38

What percentage of the vote did Labour candidate Oliver Coppard win in the second and first rounds of the south yorkshire mayoral election 2022?

Answer 38

Oliver Coppard won 43.1% of votes in the first round but 71.4% after the second round