Voting system Flashcards
What is First Past the Post?
When the candidate receiving more votes than others
Where is First Past the Post used to decide the outcome from an election?
House of Commons
Local elections in England + Wales
2 advantages of First Past the Post
Clear Winner
Easier to get new laws passed
2 disadvantages of First Past the Post?
- Party with most votes might not win the most seats and therefore does not go into power
- Smaller parties can be ignored and therefore not get much say in Parliament
- All losing votes are wasted
Alternative Voting
Voter has the chance to rank the candidates in order of reference
Where is the Alternative Vote is used to decide the outcome from an election?
Chairs of select committees in the House of Commons
Lord Speaker
By-election for hereditary peers
2 advantages of Alternative Voting
Prevents MPs being elected on a minority
Increase the feeling that every vote counts
It keeps a link between the MP and his or her constituency
2 disadvantages of Alternative Voting
- Does not give results that provide a wide range of views in parliament
- Does not give voters more power than First Past the Post
- More complicated and therefore takes longer to count
Proportional Representation
An electoral system in which the distribution of seats corresponds closely with the proportion o the total votes cast
Where is Proportional Representation used to decide the outcome from an election
Austrlia Germany Scottish Parliament Welsh Assembly Northern Ireland Assembly European Pareliament
2 advantages of Proportional Representation
- Every vote count in the final make up of Parliament
- Still gives the two major parties the majority of MPs but they would also give the smaller parties considerably more seats
- More people may turnout to vote as they will feel that their vote counts
2 disadvantages of Proportional Representation
- Neither of the tow largest parties would have an overall majority
- If the opposition parties all decided to vote together they could always defeat the Government
- To form a strong Government, parties may be forced to form a Coalition.
Voter apathy
1) People think that their vote doesn’t count
2) People have lost trust in politicians
3) People do not think that there is a great deal of difference between the parties or are dissatisfied with policies
How could you encourage more people to vote
- Change voting system
- Electronic voting
- Change the day
- Propaganda about the advantage of voting
2 reasons why voting should be compulsory
- It is a responsibility for everyone in a democracy to vote
- Voting is a human right and you should not ignore your human rights
2 reasons why voting should not be compulsory
- Make a mess of the voting paper causing more administration
- If you ‘compel’ to vote, they will ‘ just make it up’, and easily influenced by media
- Freedom, free to choose whether to vote or not
2 reasons why the voting age should be lowered 16
- Other countries e.g Brazil can vote at 16
- Unfair for people that’s 18, but have to wait till 23 to vote
- Young people have lots of opinion on political issues, such as racism, education and employment
- Around 1/5 of the population being left out
2 reasons why the voting age should not be lowered 16
- Too young to know what they are voting for
- Young people do not pay tax
- Young people are not educated enough to know about political issues , they would probably be influenced by their parents
Name 3 things that influence the way people vote
- Party leaders
- Party policies
- Media Coverage- newspaper loyalty/ party political broadcasts
