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Political Science > Election and Representation > Flashcards

Election and Representation Flashcards

1
Q

two questions about election and democracy

A

can democracy exist w/o election and vice versa. No and Yes

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2
Q

two types of democracy and explain

A

direct and indirect democracy

give small explanation/difference

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3
Q

what is an election

A

method followed by people to choose their representatives

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4
Q

most visible sign of democratic processes/democracy in a country

A

election

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5
Q

how can we ensure elections are held in a democratic way

A

constitution lays a set of basic rules about elections which are not detailed

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6
Q

what are these rules ( there are 5 ) and what do they ensure

A 
who can vote
who can contest 
who supervises
these 3 ensure free and fair elections making it democratic
how ppl choose reps
how are votes counted and reps elected
ensures fair representation
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7
Q

types of election systems

A

fptp or plurality system and proportional representation

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8
Q

what was the historic moment in India’s democracy explain pliz

A 
lok sabha elections 1984
congress secured 415 of 543 seats
more than 80% 
great victory never achieved b4
4/5th seats in lok sabha
48% of votes onli 48% voted out of all voters
less than half but still won
so congress won more seats than the percentage of votes received because in many of the constituncies, the winning candidate received less than 50% of votes (not the majority but still more)
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9
Q

explain fptp system in india or in general idk bruh

A

in this system
country is divided into 543 constituencies which are territorial divisions with 15 to 25 lakhs
each constituency holds elections and elects one representative
whoever secures maximum votes in that const wins
no need to secure majority whoever gets most wins
whoever is first to pass the winning post wins
aka plurality system
even w 25 percent he can win wala example

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10
Q

disadvantages of first past the post system

A

votes that losing candidates receive go to waste meaning the candidates don’t get a seat from those votes only if they win then they get a seat
not all views are represented as this favors the majority
discourages new parties or candidates from participating in the electoral race

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11
Q

explain proportional representation system

A

a party gets the same proportion of seats as its proportion of votes
each party fills its quota of seats by picking those many nominees from a preference list made before the elections

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12
Q

how many variations are there of pr system

A

3

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13
Q

explain first 2 types and where they are practiced

A

in the first type the whole country is treated as a constituency and each party is allocated its proportion of votes according to the national elections
this is practiced in Israel and Netherlands
in the second type the country is divided into multi member constituencies and each party prepares a list of its candidates and allocates them to each constituency depending on how many are to be elected
this is practiced in Argentina and Portugal

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14
Q

what is common in the first two types of variations

A

ppl exercise their preference for a whole part and not just a candidate

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15
Q

in pr on what basis are seats in the constituency distributed

A

on the basis of votes polled by a party

so reps from a constituency belong to different party

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16
Q

where have we adopted pr system in india

A

limitedly in indirect elections
third and complex variation is used for electing the president, vice president, and for rajya sabha and vidhan parishads elections

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17
Q

give on advantage of pr system

A

smaller parties w small support bases get representation in the legislature and it also makes way for multi party coalition govt
there is no single rep responsible for one locality
complex

18
Q 
how does pr work in rajya sabha
or 
how does the third variation of pr work
or 
how does single transferable vote system work
A

each state has a quota of seats in the rajya sabha
the elections are done by their respective state legislative assemblies
the voters are the mlas
voters rank the candidates according to their preferences in a list
winner is required to secure minimum quota of votes
formula
the first preference votes are counted and if some candidates fail to meet the quota the candidate with least votes is eliminated and their votes go or transfer to second preference
process continues till required number of candidates pass the quota

19
Q

what is quota

A

jus the limit needed

20
Q

formula of quota

A

[total votes polled/ total no candidates to be elected +1 ]+ 1

21
Q

compare fptp and pr

A

small conts and big consts [ even country is const]
each const elects one cand and many candidates from parties can be elected from const
voters vote for cand and voters vote for party
party may get more seats than votes and parties get in proportion
may not get majority and gets majority
uk and india
israel netherlands argentina and portugal

22
Q 
why did india adopt the fptp system ( write a and d)
or
advantages of fptp
or 
diasadvantages of pr
A

fptp - simple , easy to understand , clear choice is presented to voters , ppl can choose not just parties but specific candidates , hold reps accountable , smooth and stable govt , encourages ppl from different social groups to win elections

pr- complicated , wont work in country like india , unstable, no clear majority, encourages social groups to just form their own nation wide party

23
Q

normally fptp results in

A

two party system

24
Q

what is two party system

A

there are two major competitors and power is shared by them alternately and it is difficult for a third party or other parties to come in power

25
Q

why is fptp system in india different from the normal two party system shit

A

because after independence there was one party dominance with many smaller parties and after 1989 - multi party coalitions
many states have 2 party system
a distinguishing feature of fptp is rise of coalitions so new or small parties can also join in fptp

26
Q

what kind of reservations were there before independence

A

separate electorates

27
Q

what kind of reservations were there after independence

A

reserved constituencies

28
Q

what are separate electorates

A

introduced by british
to elect a rep from a particular community only voters rom that community are eligible
constituent assemble thought that this would not serve their purposes

29
Q

what are reserved constituencies

A

in rc all voters in the constituency are eligible to vote but the candidate must belong to the social grup or community for which that seat is reserved

30
Q

why are rcs necessary

A

proper rep

there grups are spread all across the country

31
Q

where and for who does the constitution provide reservations

A

in lok sabha and state legislative assemblies for scs and sts
as of 26t jan 2019
lok sabha - 84/543 for sc
47/543 for st

32
Q

how long was the provision for rcs passed

A

initially for 20 years but through many constitutional amendments has been extended till 2020 and can extend it further

33
Q

who decided which constituency should be reserved and on what basis

A

delimitation commission

34
Q

what is delimitation commission

A

it is an independent body appointed by the president of india and works in collaboration with the election commission of india

35
Q

what is the purpose of delimitation commission

A

to draw up the boundaries of constituencies in india

looks at the composition of population in constituency

36
Q

how does the dc reserve constituencies for st and sc

A

a quota of constituencies to be reserved in each state is made based on the proportion of population of st and sc in that state
st- constituencies w higher population of st are reserved for st
sc- two things
constituency w higher sc population but also dc spreads these constituencies across various regions in the state

37
Q

why are the constituencies spread in sc

A

becoz the population of sc are evenly spread across the country so the reserved constituencies can be rotated every time the delimitation process occurs

38
Q

what reservation is beginning to have a strong demand

A

reservations are only there of st and scs
in local govt bodies there is reservations for women
there is a strong demand for 1/3rd of seats to be reserved for women in lok sabha and state legislative assemblies
such a provision for lok and vidhan sabhas would require amending the constitution which has been proposed several times but never passed

39
Q

free and fair elections include two things what are they

A

universal adult franchise and right to contest

independent election commission

40
Q

what is the true test of any election system

A

ability to ensure a free and fair process
impartial and transparent
allow voters aspirations to find legitimate expression through results

41
Q

explain universal adult franchise

A

write the definition
who are the voters ko explain karta hai
1989 - age was changed from 21 to 18
all can participate without discrimination anf w equality
some ppl thought and still think that letting all citizens vote irrespective of education status was wrong but the constitution makers felt that all adults had the ability to decide what and who is best for the country or constutuency

42
Q

explain right to contest and its restrictions

A

it explains that all citizens have the right to stand for elections and become a representative of the people
it has no restrictions on income, education, class, gender and is open to all
it has a few restrictions. for example ;
there is an age requirement of 25 to contest in lok sabha or assembly elections
and
anyone undergone imprisonment for 2 or more years is eliminated from contesting

Political Science (2 decks)

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