7. Elections and referendums Flashcards
1
Q
What are the different types of voting systems?
A
- First Past the Post (FPTP)
- Supplementary Vote (SV)
- Single Transferable vote (STV)
- Additional Member System (AMS)
2
Q
What are the advantages of FPTP?
A
- Simple: voters put an X next to their preferred canidate
- easy to understand
- each constituency is represented by one MP
- FPTP tends to produce 2 party system - clear choice
- extremists parties find it difficult to win seats
- tends to result in majority single party governments
- governments are easily held accountable
3
Q
What are the disadvantages of FPTP?
A
- Millions of wasted votes
- encourages tactical voting
- choice of candiates is made by party but not voters
- voters in safe seats can feel like there is no point in voting
- ignore safe seat constituencies and focus on marginal seats
- favours parties with concentrated geographical support
- minor parties struggle to convince supporters to vote for them
- UK has a multi-party system with a voting system designed for 2 parties
4
Q
What is the Majoritarian system? - SV
A
- Elections for the mayor of London
- Police and Crime Commissioner elections
- A canidate needs 50% + 1 vote to win
- single member constituencies
- if no canidate wins a majority from the first preferences, the second preferences of all but the top two canidates are counted
5
Q
What is the Proportional system? - STV
A
- Northern Ireland elections
- seats are allocated in proportion to the number of votes received by each party
- large multi-member constituencies
- canidate needs a certain number of votes to win a seat
6
Q
What is the Mixed system? - AMS
A
- Elections to the Sottish parliament, National assembly for Wales
- the greater proportion of seats in the legislature are elected using FPTP
7
Q
What are the advantages of SV?
A
Increased legitimacy; representatives need to command broader support than under FPTP
- Choice: voters can vote for minor parties with their first preference and use their second preference for whichever front-runner they would most like to win
8
Q
What are the disadvantages of SV?
A
- Not proportional
- v. difficult for minor parties to win
- votes for anyone other than the two main canidates are still wasted
9
Q
What is the advantages of STV?
A
- Proportional: voters can support minor parties knowing their vote will count
- Greatest choice: sing STV, voters can choose both the party and the individual canidate
10
Q
What are the disadvantages of STV?
A
- Coalition governments are highly likely: these may be weal or unstable
- constituencies: the link between the voter and their representative is weaker as the constituencies are so large
- complex counting system
11
Q
What is the advantages of AMS?
A
- Choice: voters can confidently vote for minor parties with their regional list vote
- split ticket voting allows voters to choose one party for their constituency vote and a different party for their list vote
12
Q
What are the disadvantages of AMS?
A
- Does not deliver a fully proportional result, as the majority of the seats are FPTP
- two classes of representative are elected: some represent constituencies, other larger regions
- voters cannot choose between individual candidates on the closed list
- majority governments are less likely than the FPTP
13
Q
How does age effect voting behaviour?
A
- 2017 age was the most important predictor of how people voted in the GE
- Young people are more likely to vote Labour
- every 10 years you are 10% point more likely to vote for Conservative
- 2016 EU referendum 18-34 yr old majority voted to remain
- Turnout increases with age: 57% 18-19 yr olds voted 2017 compared to 84% 70+
14
Q
How does Class effect voting behaviour?
A
- Traditionally, class was the main predictor e.g. Working class - labour upper/middle - upper
- Middle class were more likely to vote remain in EU Referendum
- the Labour Party - commonly seen as a party for the working classes - received 44% of the overall working class vote (social classes D and E) in the 2017 General Election. - HOWEVER, social classes have been moving away from their traditional party lines as was seen in the 2019 General Election where they same social classes D and E voted 47% for the Conservative Party and only 34% for Labour.
15
Q
How does Gender effect voting behaviour?
A
- Women were more likely to vote remain in the EU ref rather than men
- 2010 election 30% of women aged 18-24 voted Conservative, while the corresponding figure for women over 55 was 42%.
