Chapter Ten

Question 1

Define Electoral System

Answer 1

The mechanics of how certain electoral processes are carried out, such as how the votes are counted and what type of voting system is used.

Question 2

Define Majoritarian electoral system

Answer 2

An electoral system which aims to create large major parties in whatever house of parliament it is in, which makes it easier for parties to form majorities.

Question 3

Define Proportional electoral System

Answer 3

An electoral system which aims to maintain proportionality between the political views of the voter base and the makeup of that house of parliament. This generally means that more minorities are elected and a more diverse range of opinions are represented in that house.

Question 4

Define Compromise model

Answer 4

An electoral system which seeks to mix different elements of proportional and majoritarian electoral systems to create a compromise between the two. An example is Canada’s electoral system.

Question 5

Define Electoral Experimentation

Answer 5

The idea that Australia over its history experimented with a variety of different electoral systems.

Question 6

Define Single Member electorate

Answer 6

A geographical area in which one member of parliament is elected in, such as different electorates in an Australian federal election for the lower house.

Question 7

Define Vote wastage

Answer 7

A situation in which one party in a single electorate achieves a surplus of votes for their candidate. These votes become wasted since for that party they could be better spent in another electorate where they may have lost.

Question 8

Define Redistributions

Answer 8

Changing electoral boundaries to accommodate for a change in population, usually this is done by a neutral third party such as in Australia, where it is conducted by the Australian electoral commission.

Question 9

Define First past the post system

Answer 9

A system of voting where in order to win in an individual electorate, candidates need to achieve a simple majority, that is more votes than any other candidate. This system is most common in majoritarian voting systems such as the UK.

Question 10

Define ‘Three cornered-contest’

Answer 10

A hypothetical situation which can occur under first past the post systems in which two popular but similar candidates split the vote between them and allow a third less preferred candidate to take the position. This is seen as a big disadvantage in first past the post systems.

Question 11

Define Preferential Voting

Answer 11

A system of voting where voters allocate preferences to all the candidates and a candidate must achieve an absolute majority, more than 50%, of all votes. This is almost always achieved through allocating a voter’s subsequent preferences when their first preference is knocked out.

Question 12

Define Donkey Vote

Answer 12

A vote where the voter has not put any thought into their choice and has randomly numbered or ticked boxes. This vote is still formal and is impossible to track.

Question 13

Define Two round run-off system

Answer 13

A system of preferential voting in which two voting stages are conducted, an initial stage to determine the two most popular candidates and then a subsequent stage which determines out of them which one is more popular.

Question 14

Define Exhaustive Ballot

Answer 14

A voting system which requires voters to list all their preferences, which is used in WA lower house elections.

Question 15

Define Optional preferential voting

Answer 15

A system which exists in Tasmanian state elections where voters are not required to list all their preferences, meaning they can omit candidates they don’t know about.

Question 16

Define Multi-Member electorate

Answer 16

An electorate where multiple members can be elected, for example each state in federal senate elections serves as a multi member electorate.

Question 17

Define Proportional Voting

Answer 17

A system of voting which aims to achieve proportionality between the number of votes a party or independent achieves and the number of seats that party or independent wins in parliament.

Question 18

Define List System

Answer 18

A system of proportional voting where instead of voting for a candidate, voters instead vote for a party. Parties are then allocated a number of seats proportional to the number of votes they received, and the members elected are at the direction of the party.

Question 19

Define Single Transferable vote System

Answer 19

A system of proportional voting where a nation or state is divided into smaller multi-member electorates which elect candidates using a proportional system. Voters can either select to allocate their preferences to individual parties (voting above the line), or allocating their preferences to individual candidates (below the line). To win a seat, a candidate must achieve quota which is calculated by dividing the total number of votes over the number of members to be elected plus one, plus one. If there are still positions remaining and no other candidate that has achieved a quota, surplus votes from winning candidates will be allocated to other candidates via preferences. After this, preferences from the candidate with the least votes are allocated like a preferential system.

Question 20

Define The Australian Electoral Compromise

Answer 20

The idea that over the past several years Australia has evolved into a unique electoral compromise which satisfies the somewhat contradictory aims of an electoral system. Through the majoritarian system in the lower house and the proportional system in the upper house, Australian electoral systems achieve the direct representation of their constituents, an effective and stable government but also fair representation of political parties and minorities as well as an acceptance of a wide range of beliefs.

Question 21

Define Nexus Clause

Answer 21

The clause in section 24 of the constitution which outlines that the number of members in the house of representatives must be as close as is practical to double the amount of Senators.

Question 22

Define Surplus Vote

Answer 22

The wasted votes that a party receives in an electorate which could theoretically be ‘transferred’ into another electorate for an advantage to that party.

Question 23

Explain the difference between electoral systems and electoral procedures

Answer 23

Electoral procedures are tasks that are undergone during an election such as issuing the electoral writ or counting votes. Electoral procedures are the ways in which these tasks are carried out such as compulsory voting or the secret ballot.

Question 24

What are the key outcomes for an electoral system in a Liberal Democracy?

Answer 24

In a liberal democracy, electoral systems seek to provide stable government with majority rule but also allow for the voice of minorities to be heard in parliament as well.

Question 25

What are some significant electoral reforms that have occurred throughout Australian History?

Answer 25

• In 1924, compulsory voting was introduced into Australia which is significant because it greatly broadened the voter base and emphasised the more central views within society.
• In 1918 preferential voting was adopted into federal lower house elections which can be seen as a great improvement to a simple first past the post system since it allowed more Australians to have a say who their member was and gave the elected member a more substantial mandate.
• In 1949 proportional voting was adopted in the senate which allowed for a more diverse senate with more minor party and independent members expressing a more diverse view of politics and beliefs.

Question 26

What are some advantages and disadvantages of single member electorates?

Answer 26

Advantages:
• Elected members can maintain a closer relationship with their constituent and it is easier to represent their constituent since it is a smaller amount of people and generally similar thinking people (this has become a lot less viable in recent history)
• The use of single member electorates means that a candidate from a major party is more likely to get elected, which leads to a clear majority in parliament and thus stable government.
Disadvantages:
• The representation of minor parties is very weak in single member electorates, if a minor party received 20% of the vote in every single member electorate across the country they would still win no seats in the lower house.
• Since candidates have to appeal to the wide majority, major parties will often avoid picking candidates of different race and ethnicity.
• Vote wastage can occur within electorates, if the ALP wins 75% of the vote in a heavily industrialised district then many of votes representing a large number of people have been wasted.
• Single member electorates are more open to electoral manipulation such as gerrymandering and malapportionment

Question 27

List the advantages and disadvantages of a first past the post system

Answer 27

Advantages:
• The system is simple to understand and employ
• The system satisfies the principles of majority rule
Disadvantages:
• A large portion of people within the constituency can feel disenfranchised, especially if the winning candidate has won with less than 50% of the popular vote
• Two similar candidates can split the vote between them which leaves a third more unpopular candidate to win the seat

Question 28

List the advantages and disadvantages relating to the use of preferential voting systems

Answer 28

Advantages:
• Because the candidate in the electorate must gain an absolute majority to win, they can be seen as the most preferred candidate.
• People are encouraged to vote for minorities since even if that candidate gets knocked out, their preferences can flow on and still make a difference.
• Parties are encouraged to select a candidate that will be the most universally appealing to everyone
• A situation where two similar candidates from different parties cannot occur
Disadvantages:
• The count of preferential votes is complex, which means that elections can sometimes take weeks to decide
• The complexity of the system increases the amount of donkey votes
• The use of party ‘how to vote’ cards can end up with a voter endorsing a candidate that they do not want to.

Question 29

Describe the difference between ‘exhaustive’ and ‘optional’ preferential voting and their resultant effects

Answer 29

Exhaustive preferential voting requires candidates to list preferences for all the available candidates however optional preferential voting requires candidates to list preferences for only the candidates they want to, meaning they can omit allocating preferences to candidates they don’t like or don’t know. Exhaustive preferential voting can force voters to allocate preferences to candidates they know nothing about, and also increases the amount of donkey and informal votes. However, the use of optional preferential voting can lead to a situation where there are no more preferences to be allocated and someone’s vote can go to nothing or a candidate can be elected without attaining an absolute majority.

Question 30

State the advantages and disadvantages of using a proportional voting system using examples from the 2016 Senate composition

Answer 30

Advantages:
• Effective proportional voting systems ensure that proportionality is maintained between the number of votes a party receives and the number of seats they win. This means that the view of every voter is more accurately and fairly represented and minor parties gain the representation that they deserve.
o For example, the Greens in the 2016 election achieved 8.65 percent of the national vote and were allocated 9 seats for this amount.
• Proportional voting ensures that gerrymandering and malapportionment are limited
• Candidates of different race and ethnicity are more likely to be elected
Disadvantages:
• Multimember electorates ensure that voters maintain a weak relationship with their electorate, which also links to the idea that a voter is more likely to vote for the party than a candidate which increases party dominance in politics
• It does not create effective majorities, which is somewhat less significant in bicameral countries like Australia
• A low quota can result in the election of radical groups

Question 31

Explain how the mixed member electoral system operates in New Zealand

Answer 31

New Zealand consists of a unicameral parliament with elements from both proportional and majoritarian voting systems. About 75% of the seats in the parliament are won through a first past the post system in single member electorates, however the remaining 25% of seats are deemed supplementary seats and are allocated to parties on the basis of the percentage of the popular vote they received, i.e. a party which received 15% of the vote would ideally receive 15% of the supplementary seats.

Question 32

Summarise the impact of the Hawke government electoral reforms in 1983

Answer 32

In 1983, the Hawke government increased the number of senators from each state from 10 to twelve, and also increased the total amount of lower house members to 148. This meant that the quota a candidate needed to achieve to win a seat in the senate was significantly reduced, meaning that minor parties had a greater chance of winning a seat in the senate. Combined with the introduction of group voting tickets also in 1983 which allowed parties to engage in preference whispering, the reforms meant that the representation of minor parties in the senate was vastly increased.