UK Paper 1: Electoral Systems Flashcards
what is the first past the post system (FPTP)?
the UK is divided into 650 constituencies or “seats” approximately equal in population. they contain around 70,000 people each. for a candidate to win, they need to obtain the most votes in a constituency (this is called a plurality). this does not need to be over 50% of the vote (a majority). this system leads to a “winner’s bonus” where the party with the most votes gets an inflated amount of seats as a result. for example labour in 1997 only won 43% of the popular vote but got 63% of the seats.
FPTP has led to a largely 2-party system in the UK, with Cons and Lab competing for dominance. this is not to say that minor parties have no influence in this system, only that they have essentially no chance of becoming the governing party.
what is the additional member system (AMS)?
the AMS system is used in the scottish parliament and welsh assembly elections. there are 2 components to AMS: the constituency vote and the regional vote.
the constituency vote:
each constituency elects a single member on a plurality. these constituencies are different to those used in a GE.
the regional vote:
this part is more proportional than the plurality system, and is designed to correct some of the problems of FPTP. the whole of scotland and wales are divided into large multi-member constituencies; these areas elect 4 members each. the d’Hondt formula is used to decide who gets the first seat out of the elected members. this process is repeated for each party, until each seat is taken.
therefore each person in scotland is represented by one MSP for their constituency, and 7 MSPs for their constituency, as well as one MP who is elected for parliament in the same way as the rest of the UK.
using AMS is likely to result in a multi-party system as the proportional nature of the system allows smaller parties to have more success.
what is the single transferable vote system (STV)?
this is used for elections in the northern irish assembly.
NI is divided into large multi-member regions.
-voter is given ballot paper with all the sandidates running in their region. they cast the vote by ordering candidates by preference (1,2,3, etc). in order to win a candidate needs to achieve the “droop quota”.
STV usually results in a multiparty system and produces coalition governments. the value of each vote is quite uniform.
what are the advantages and disadvantages of FPTP?
advantages:
-very simple system for voters. votes can be counted quickly and there is no use of mathematical formula. this is helpful because voters will have more trust in the system, increasing turnout and reducing the likelihood of spoiled ballots.
-overwhelming majority of the time produces a strong single party government that is able to effectively make decisions, rather than requiring compromise between parties
-provides a clear link between each area and its representative. this provides someone who residents can go to in order to voice their concerns on local issues. there is also clear accountability to constituents.
-FPTP keeps out extremists - parties with more extreme views, like the BNP, are kept out of office due to their requiring a strong concentration of support in a specific area.
disadvantages:
-the two-party system leads to voters having a lack of real choice, leading to reduced turnout and tactical voting.
-there is unequal vote value under FPTP. one issue is unequal constituency sizes, but the most significant problem is safe and swing seats. one voter in a swing seat is far more valuable than a voter in a safe seat. therefore the vote of one person is more important than another based on where they happen to live, undermining a key principle of democracy. parties will pay less attention to voters in safe seats, so they will receive less info
-no majority is required. this often leads to a situation where a candidate is elected, when more people voted against them than for them. this undermines the legitimacy of the candidate.
-there is essentially always a highly disproportionate result under FPTP. labour in 1997 only won 43% of the popular vote but got 63% of the seats. UKIP won 4 million votes in 2015 but just one seat. 2 main parties are very over-represented while others are under-represented.
what are the advantages and disadvantages of AMS?
advantages:
-far more proportional than FPTP. fewer votes are considered “wasted”.
-voters can cast more than one vote, encourages people to choose for different parties. this incentivises the parties to contest elections
-government has broad popular support. a more proportional result legitimises the government and is arguably more democratic
-greater levels of representation. all areas have both constituency and regional representation; more chance that voters will feel represented in some way.
disadvantages:
-much more complicated than FPTP; the complex system of counting and d’Hondt formula is difficult to explain to the majority of voters. arguably could reduce trust in the system. evidenced by the fact turnout in scottish and welsh elections averages 50-55%.
-single-party government is rare and unlikely. minority/coalition governments are the norm; this damages decision making, stability and accountability.
-neither part of AMS is actually proportional: while it may be more accurate to number of votes than FPTP, it is still not truly proportional.
-there are tensions between directly accountable constituency members, and regional list members. democratic accountability is undermined.
-new parties have tried to “game the system” by only putting candidates forward in the regional system.
what are the advantages and disadvantages of STV?
advantages:
-proprtional result. it is the most proportional system in the UK, delivering a result which has a close correlation to the percentage of the vote cast and the percentage of seats gained - this increases the legitimacy of the result, giving the government a strong mandate.
-voters have a great degree of choice, both between parties and within parties. a voter may have a preference of a certain party, and also of candidates in that party.
-multi-member constituencies mean a voter is likely to have someone elected which shares their beliefs - the system is therefore more representative.
disadvantages:
like AMS, the system is much more complicated, reducing voter trust and often turnout as well
-in NI, the good friday agreement means there has to be a coalition government. however even if this was not the case, the proportional nature of STV means a coalition is the most likely result; this is often weaker than a single-party government.
-the link between constituents and representatives is very weak, because of the size of constituencies.
