Unit 1 - Electoral Systems Flashcards
Proportional electoral systems
Direct relationship between % of seats and % Of votes
Majoritarian electoral system
A system which promotes a single party majority government
Examples of Landslide effect
2001 Lab 167 seat majority
1997 Lab 179 seat majority
1983 Cons 144 seat majority under thatcher
Why do MPs in England lack a majority mandate?
2/3 have a plurality but not a majority of votes.
Where is the AMS used?
Scottish Parliament
Welsh assembly
Greater London assembly
Where is the STV system used?
Northern Ireland Assembly and Local Governments
Scottish Local government
Party list system examples
EU parliament
Israel
Denmark
Finland
Where is the SV used
London mayor elections
WHere is AV used?
Australia Lower House
How does SV work?
2 preferences.
Majority (50% needed)
How does AV work
Rank candidates in order of preference
Advantages of AV/SV
- Fewer wasted votes
- Greater accountability as single party govt is formed
- Strong and stable govt
- Majority mandate held by MP
- More legitimate
Disadvantages of AV/SV
- Not proportional
- Tactical voting
- Some votes are counted more than others
- Unequal strength of 1st and second preference votes
Explain the AMS in Scotland
73 seats selected with FPTP
56 seats selected with party list (as top up)
Droop formula
STV
D’Hondt formula
Party list
Advantages of party list
- Simple to use and count
- Proportional - democratic legitimacy
- Very few wasted votes
- More diverse candidates/greater pluralism
- Party controls list and so could resolve the issue of descriptive representation in the UK
Disadvantages of party list
- Parties have significant power in candidate ranking
- No MP-constituency link
- Limited choice
- Political fragmentation through coalition
Advantages of STV
- Wide voter choice
- Proportional
- Pluralistic
- Fewer wasted votes
- Link between voters and constituency remains
- Eliminates need for tactical voting
Disadvantages of STV
- Extremely complicated
- Takes a lot of time
- Could lead to ‘donkey voting’
- Doesn’t produce majority governments
- Leads to intraparty competition
Results of 2010 election
Lib Dem 23% of votes 9 % of seats
Labour 29% of votes 39.7 % of seats
Conservatives 36% of vote and 47 % of seats
Arguments for FPTP
- Existed for long time and widely accepted
- Easy to understand
- Retains strong MP - constituency link
- Ensures single party strong governments
- Greater accountability
Arguments against FPTP
- Disproportional - public not fully represented
- Wasted votes
- Votes are not of equal value
- Discriminates against smaller parties
- Systematic bias towards Labour
- Weak mandate as 2/3 of MPs don’t have majority mandate
- Elective dictatorship
Arguments for a proportional system
- Fair and proportional
- Fewer wasted votes
- Turnout may increase
- Help smaller parties - improved representation
- Reduces possibility of elective dictatorship.
- Pluralism
Arguments against proportional system
- Current system works fine
- Other systems are too difficult
- Prone to extreme parties
- Weak and unstable government
- Some systems destroy MP - constituency link
- Public do not want a proportional system as evident by 2011 AV REFERENDUM
Elections stats
1992 - 77.7% 1997 - 71.4% 2001 - 59.4% 2005 - 61.4% 2010 - 65.1%
