Elections. Chapter 15

Question 1

First-order elections

Answer 1

elections in which the stakes are highest, usually involving the possibilities of a change of government

Question 2

Second-order elections

Answer 2

elections in which the stakes are lower, such as local or mid-term elections

Question 3

Electoral system

Answer 3

a general term for the rules governing an election, including the structure of the ballot (e.g. how many candidates are listed per party)

Question 4

Electoral formula

Answer 4

how votes are converted to seats

Question 5

Districting

Answer 5

the division of the territory into separate constituencies

Question 6

The single-member plurality

Answer 6

an electoral system based on districts that each have one representative, and in which the winner is the candidate with most votes

Question 7

Proportional representation

Answer 7

an electoral system in which the number of seats won by each of the competing parties is proportional to the number of votes they each win

Question 8

Distribution requirements

Answer 8

rules specifying how a winning candidate’s votes must be arranged across different regions or social groups

Question 9

Referendum

Answer 9

a vote of the electorate on a limited issue of public policy such as a constitutional amendment

Question 10

Gerrymandering

Answer 10

a phenomenon (USA) involving the deliberate redrawing of electoral districts to favor one political party over another

Question 11

Initiative

Answer 11

a procedure which allows citizens to initiate a popular vote on a given proposal or to place it on the legislature’s agenda

Question 12

Recall

Answer 12

a popular vote on whether an elected official should be removed from office during normal tenure

Question 13

Ballot stuffing

Answer 13

a form of electoral fraud in which a person limited by a law to a single vote is able to cast multiple votes in a single booth or to vote in multiple locations