Elections 2 Flashcards
(20 cards)
What are the different types of elections?
general elections-to elect MPs to the commons.
Local/regional elections-
could include electing councillors for local government (county/district councils etc) as well as elected mayors, police and crime commissioners and elections to Scottish/Welsh/NI parliament.
Referendums-
Usually a national vote on a single issue – Brexit, Scottish independence etc.
How does a general election work?
All sitting MPs formally resign to contest their seats.
➢ Elections are held simultaneously in every constituency.
➢ A new parliament is summoned by the sovereign once votes have been counted and seats allocated
How does parliament work as a whole?
The maximum term of parliament in 5 years from the first day it’s met, unless dissolved earlier by the king.
Polling days are due to take place 25 days later, excluding bank holidays and weekends.
A general election could be held sooner if –
✓ The government loses a vote of confidence, triggering a general
election
✓ A motion for a general election is approved by two-thirds of the
number of seats in the Commons
What reasons could a general election be held earlier?
A general election could be held sooner if –
✓ The government loses a vote of confidence, triggering a general
election
✓ A motion for a general election is approved by two-thirds of the
number of seats in the Commons
How many constituences are there.
- Each MP represents a constituent.
What is the commons electoral system ?
The winner is…the candidate with the most votes in a constituency – a relative majority - is elected.
The party with the most Commons seats forms the government- Overall majority
The party that wins more seats than all the others and independent MPs when counted together. The party has a majority ‘over all’
Hung Parliament-
A minority administration means a party has a handful more seats than its nearest rival. It is also called a hung parliament. 2017 was the last example of this*
What are the qualifications to have the right to vote?
Be at least 18 years of age on election day and registered to vote.
Be a British, Irish or qualifying (someone with leave to enter or remain in the UK) Commonwealth citizens
Not be legally excluded from voting
Be resident at an address in the UK or Gibraltar, or a British citizen living abroad who has been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years.
What are some quirks on who can vote?
Monarchs and their heirs: nothing to stop them voting but refrain from doing so in order to not be seen as acting unconstitutionally.
UK citizens living abroad for fewer than 15 years can make annual declarations allowing them to vote in constituencies where they lived before they went abroad.
Members of the armed forces vote where they would normally live.
Holidaymakers are allowed ‘absent’ votes provided electoral registration officers are satisfied they cannot vote in person.
Whos barred from voting?
Peers still entitled to sit in the Lords
Foreign nationals (including citizens of EU states)
Patients detained under mental health legislation AFTER criminal conviction
Convicted prisoners and people convicted of ‘corrupt’ or ‘illegal election practices’ (banned for a set period of time)
How do councils keep track of who’s register to vote ?
The electoral register- Drawn up by the electoral registration officer – an employee of a district council, a metropolitan district council, a London borough, a unitary authority
➢ A census is taken every October of every household but
➢ Registration is possible at any time. It is updated monthly
➢ An offence not to register to vote. Many don’t.
What is the ptp voting system?
First past the post is when electors place an X next to their choice of candidate in one of three ways:-
In person
At the designated polling station which will be open from 7am to 10pm
By post
You apply to the returning officer and say you do not wish to vote in person*
By proxy
Nominate somebody to vote on your behalf. you have to apply to the returning officer. Usually done if the elector is overseas
Who can stand in the election?
Any citizen of Britain, the Irish Republic or a Commonwealth country resident in Britain and over 18 on their nomination day may stand for election provided he or she is not disqualified on grounds of being
* A member of the police force, armed forces, civil servant or judge, Subject to a bankruptcy or debt relief order, or had their estate sequestrated in
Scotland.
* A peer who can sit and vote in the House of Lords
* A government-nominated director of a commercial company
* A Church of England bishop who is entitled to sit and vote in the House of
Lords.
* Someone serving more than one year’s imprisonment following conviction
- Someone found guilty of corrupt or illegal election practices or an offence
relating to donations – the length of the disqualification is three years for illegal practices and five years for corrupt practices
Can candidates stand for MP from prison?
candidates can stand for mp if they are serving 12 months or less.
What electoral system is used to elect MPs?
Used to elect MPs and local council members in England and Wales
The UK is divided into constituencies
Local authorities are divided into
wards.
➢ Votes put a “x” next to their chosen
candidate on a ballot paper.
➢ The papers are counted.
➢ The candidate with the most votes
wins – and represents that constituency or ward.
What are four other electoral systems?
Alternative vote – used to elect many Commons committee chairs, the Lord Speaker and by-elections for hereditary peers. Voters rank candidates in order of preference – can rank as many or as few as they like.
First preference votes counted – if a candidate gets more than 50% they win, otherwise candidate with fewest first preference eliminated, their second preference votes are reallocated. Process continues until someone has over 50%.
Supplementary vote – used for mayoral elections in England and Wales and for police and crime commissioners.
Like the AV system – voters limited to first and second choice. If a candidate has more than 50% they win, otherwise all candidates bar the two with the most votes. The second preference of the eliminated candidates are counted and any made for the remaining two are transferred – the candidate with the most votes wins.
Single transferable vote – used to elect Commons deputy speakers, NI Assembly elections and local elections in Scotland and NI.Voters rank candidates in order of preference. Each candidate needs to reach a quota – the minimum votes calculated according to number of seats and votes cast.First preference votes counted – candidates who achieve quota are elected. Their surplus votes go to second preference candidates. Votes from the candidate with the fewest first preference who do not achieve the quota are eliminated and their votes go to the second preference.
Additional member system – used by the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales, the London Assembly.
Voters given two votes on separate ballot papers. One vote is for a constituency member the other is for a party list.
Constituency votes counted and members are elected using FPTP. Additional members elected by counting party list votes in each region. Number elected from the list is based on the percentage of votes cast and takes into account the number of constituency members already elected.
Name two reasons why the ptp sysytem is controversial?
Votes cast for unsuccessful candidates are ‘wasted’
Tactical voting emerges where people vote strategically – for people
they believe have a chance of winning to block those they like least6.5 million people tried to game the system like this in 2017 according
to the Electoral Reform Society
What is a referendum?
A direct vote by the electorate on a single issue.
How does a local election work?
Local councillors are elected for four- year terms.
➢ Council elections are usually held on the first Thursday in May.
➢ Some councils elect all of their councillors at once, others elect half, or a third, at each election.
What are the restrictions for general elections?
During a general election campaign the government continues to govern and ministers remain in post.
However, since parliament is dissolved, there are several restrictions on what government can do.
Ministers are supposed to “observe discretion” in initiating new policy or action of “a continuing or long-term character”. Such decisions are supposed to be delayed until after the election, unless they are unavoidable, or delaying them will be detrimental to the national interest or waste public money.
Government activity – including arm’s-length bodies and other public bodies – should not compete with the election campaign. This means that announcements and government communications are also restricted.
Government resources are not allowed to be used for party political purposes.
Ministers need to ensure that the political impartiality of the civil service is
maintained.
When do the general election restrictions apply?
The restrictions apply throughout a general election campaign, formally taking effect with the dissolution of parliament. It runs up to and including the day of the election.
The Cabinet Manual states that the restrictions continue if the election does not lead to a clear result and there are negotiations as to who is best placed to form a government.
