7 - Elections & Referendums

Question 1

Types of voting systems?

Answer 1

1) FPTP
2) Additional Member System (AMS)
3) Single Transferable Vote (STV)
4) Supplementary Vote (SV)

Question 2

Advantages of FPTP?

Answer 2

1) Simplicity
2) One MP per constituency
3) Strong mandates
4) Simple choice

Question 3

Disadvantages of FPTP?

Answer 3

1) Low turnout
2) Many wasted votes
3) Lack of third party success
4) Exaggerated mandates

Question 4

Features of Supplementary Vote?

Answer 4

• Used in mayoral/ police commissioner elections
• Requires over 50% vote to win
• Second preference votes given to top two candidates if no-one gets 50%

Question 5

Advantages/ Disadvantages of SV?

Answer 5

GOOD:
1) Increased legitimacy
2) Voter choice
BAD:
1) Still some wasted votes
2) Still tactical voting

Question 6

Features of Single Transferable Vote?

Answer 6

• Used in N. Ireland assembly elections
• Rounds of vote quotas
• Voters list candidates in order of who they want

Question 7

Advantages/ Disadvantages of STV?

Answer 7

GOOD:
1) Proportional
2) Greatest choice
BAD:
1) Coalitions likely
2) Multi-member constituencies

Question 8

Features of Additional Member System?

Answer 8

• Used in Scottish & Welsh Parliament elections
• FPTP used for single-member consituencies
• Parties with lower proportional FPTP are given additional seats through regional list votes

Question 9

Advantages/ Disadvantages of AMS?

Answer 9

GOOD:
1) More proportional than FPTP
2) Choice in regional list votes
BAD:
1) Complex
2) Two-tier representatives

Question 10

Factors influencing voting behaviour?

Answer 10

1) Age - Young = Labour + 55% turnout in 2019, Old = Cons + 80% turnout in 2019
2) Class - Working = Labour, Upper = Cons (ev - 2019 all classes majority Cons)
3) Gender - Women more likely Remain + Labour especially younger
4) Ethnicity - 60% chose Labour in 2019

Question 11

Factors affecting success of political parties? (1983, 1997, 2019 Case studies)

Answer 11

1) Media
2) Party Policy
3) Leadership + Campaign

Question 12

Importance of media in elections?

Answer 12

1983:
- Labour only had 22% newspaper circulation
- “Do you seriously want this old man to run Britain?”
- “Maggie cult”
1997:
- The Sun and Murdoch switched to Labour
- 62% of readership was pro-Labour
2019:
- Labour spent £1.4 million on social media
- Johnson refused Andrew Neil interview

Question 13

Importance of policy in elections?

Answer 13

1983:
- Thatcher called for end of trade union power
- Labour wanted more union power + unilateral nuclear disarmament
1997:
- Labour focus on reform + economy
- Cons less reform and sameness
2019:
- Cons “Get Brexit Done”
- Labour attacked as irresponsible

Question 14

Importance of leadership & campaign?

Answer 14

1983:
- Thatcher 16 TV interviews
- Cons rallies were invite-only
1997:
- “Things will only get better”
- Major “grey man”
- “I lead my party, he follows his”
2019:
- Corbyn lack of stance on Brexit
- Johnson populist style

Question 15

Reasons for a referendum?

Answer 15

1) Constitutional Change (e.g. devolution)
2) Political Forces (e.g. independence)
3) Management (e.g. EEC)

Question 16

Advantages of referendums?

Answer 16

1) Engage voters
2) Absorb divisions within a party
3) Provide a check on governments

Question 17

Disadvantages of referendums?

Answer 17

1) Undermine representative democracy (e.g. Parliament = Remain)
2) Lack of political education (e.g. £350 million a week to EU)
3) Some referendums have low turnout (e.g. AV referendum 2011 - 64% turnout)