Electoral System

Question 1

what are the four main aims of electoral systems?

Answer 1

1. Proportionality
2. Effectiveness
3. Simplicity
4. Responsiveness

Question 2

what is meant by proportionality when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

Answer 2

how proportional is the representation in this system?

Question 3

what is meant by effectiveness when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

Answer 3

how effective is it in structuring a stable parliament and government?

Question 4

what is meant by simplicity when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

Answer 4

is the system easy to understand for voters?

Question 5

what is meant by responsiveness when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

Answer 5

how well does the system provide a link between MPs and citizens?

Question 6

what are the two main types of electoral systems?

Answer 6

1. majoritarian electoral systems
2. proportional representation (PR) electoral systems

Question 7

how do majoritarian electoral systems work?

Answer 7

elections take place in single member districts, and the winner takes all (requiring more than 50% of the votes)

Question 8

how do proportional representation (PR) electoral systems work?

Answer 8

elections take place in multi-member districts, and the seats are allocated in proportion to the votes received

Question 9

what are some example countries for majoritarian electoral systems?

Answer 9

France, Australia

Question 10

what are some example countries for proportional representation (PR) electoral systems?

Answer 10

Netherlands, Belgium, Czechia

Question 11

how do plurality electoral systems work?

Answer 11

voters vote for individual candidates, winning candidate needs more votes than any other single candidate

Question 12

how do mixed electoral systems work?

Answer 12

voters vote for both individual candidates and party lists, it is a mix of PR and plurality districts

Question 13

what are some example countries for plurality electoral systems?

Answer 13

United States, United Kingdom, Canada

Question 14

what are some example countries for mixed electoral systems?

Answer 14

Japan, Hungary, Thailand

Question 15

what are the four differences for the variety of proportional representation (PR) systems?

Answer 15

1. Degree of choice of candidates
2. Level of threshold (hurdle set in advance)
3. District magnitude
4. Formula for seat allocation

Question 16

what is the relationship between district magnitude and proportionality?

Answer 16

the larger the districts are the more proportional election outcomes are

Question 17

what are the consequences of plurality and majoritarian electoral systems?

Answer 17

-disproportionality and underrepresentation of minority groups

HOWEVER

-stable party system and single-party governments

Question 18

what are the consequences of proportional representation (PR) electoral systems?

Answer 18

high levels of proportionality and better minority representation

HOWEVER

-party system fragmentation and government instability

Question 19

what is the Gallagher Index?

Answer 19

measures an electoral system’s relative disproportionality between votes received and seats in a legislature

Question 20

what is Duverger’s Law?

Answer 20

countries with a majoritarian electoral system have a two-party system due to mechanical effects and psychological effects

Question 21

what are the mechanical effects that Duverger’s Law talks about?

Answer 21

the two-party system tends to eliminate small parties

Question 22

what are the psychological effects that Duverger’s Law talks about?

Answer 22

the two-party system leads people to vote logically (so not small parties)

Question 23

are the mechanical and psychological effects of Duverger’s Law related?

Answer 23

yes, the psychological effects reinforce the mechanical effects

Question 24

why is it difficult for electoral systems to change?

Answer 24

because the constitutions protect them

Question 25

what are the two types of manipulations that can drastically change how electoral systems operate?

Answer 25

-manipulating districts

-manipulating legal thresholds

Question 26

what are the two main ways of manipulating districts?

Answer 26

malapportionment and gerrymandering

Question 27

what is malapportionment?

Answer 27

strategic imbalances in districts (two districts with very different populations have the same number of MPs)

Question 28

what is gerrymandering?

Answer 28

-manipulating district boundaries to change the composition of voters

-manipulating constituency boundaries to manufacture a majority vote for a candidate

Question 29

what is a way to manipulate legal thresholds?

Answer 29

manipulating legal barriers (% of votes) to enter parliament