Elections and Referendums

Question 1

Name three advantages of the FPTP system

Answer 1

Produces strong majority government - allows big policy change - Blair 1997 reforms

Simple and easy system - no one wants change - shown with AV referendum

Extreme parties find hard to take power - BNP 560k votes, no seats 2010

Question 2

Name three disadvantages of the FPTP system

Answer 2

Voter apathy
- turnout remains lower than 70% since 2001
-tactical voting on avg. 20%

Underrepresentation of minor parties
2024 - Reform won 14.7% but got 1% of seats

Minority rules
- 2019 - Tories won 56% of seats with 43% of vote

Question 3

What are the two majoritarian systems

Answer 3

SV and AV

Question 4

What is SV

Answer 4

Voters pick a 1st and 2nd choice.
If no majority: all but the top two are eliminated, and 2nd choices are counted.

Question 5

What is AV

Answer 5

Voters rank all candidates.
If no majority: last place is eliminated and votes re distributed until 50%

Question 6

Give two advantages of majoritarian

Answer 6

Provides greater legitimacy - reflects higher proportion of public

More representation and less voter apathy due to preference system

Question 7

Give two disadvantages of majoritarian

Answer 7

System is not proportional - can be less than FPTP

Tactical voting could be used with second preference votes

Question 8

Name the proportional system

Answer 8

STV

Question 9

What is STV

Answer 9

one candidate reaches quota, extra votes redistributed with preference
creation of multi member constituency

Question 10

Give two advantages of proportional systems

Answer 10

Dramatically reduces wasted votes, increasing participation

Elected bodies with broader representation are more likely to be both reflective of the electorate’s views and more responsive to them

Question 11

Give two disadvantages of proportional systems

Answer 11

In low population areas STV could lead to too large constituencies

Likely to create weak coalition govs

Question 12

What is AMS

Answer 12

Voters have two votes
one for a local candidate (FPTP)
one for a party list (PR)

Question 13

Give two advantages of AMS

Answer 13

Higher turnout

Greater choice - small party representation increase- can lead to enhanced representation

Question 14

Give two disadvantages of AMS

Answer 14

Not most proportional - Scotland election - SNP 44% of vote but received 49% of seats

Coalition and weak minorities can occur

Question 15

What are the 5 factors that impact voting behaviour

Answer 15

Age
Class
Location
Gender
Ethnicity

Question 16

Analyse the factor of “class” and give two examples

Answer 16

Significant class dealignment since parties move to centre - 2019 - Bolsover voted Conservative for first time since 1950, red wall lost seats to Tories

It was important though with polarising parties: Thatcher, Corbyn

Also 2019 majority of AB was conservative with 55%, majority of DE were labour - 33%

Question 17

Analyse the factor of “age” and give two examples

Answer 17

Strong correlation with age and voting

47 known as switching age from Labour to Tory

2019 GE - only 40% of 70+ vote Labour, 21% 18-24 vote Tory

Turnout increases with age - 80% of 75+ 2019

Question 18

Analyse the factor of “gender” and give two examples

Answer 18

Less noticeable - but partys still focus

Women vote Tory at an older age, same to men

2014 - Cameron declared UK would lead the change on women equality

2017 - Labour conduct gender impact tests on policies

Question 19

Analyse the factor of “location” and give two examples

Answer 19

Rural areas more conservative

Urban areas are more labour - London, Manchester- red wall

Question 20

Name three reasons for a referendum

Answer 20

Large policy divergence - Brexit

Government management - AV referendum settled the coalition divide

Devolution - Scotland independence 2017

Question 21

Name three reasons for voter apathy

Answer 21

Partisan dealignment - people spoil votes

Supporters of small parties feel the chances are so slim so no point

People believe the seat is so safe - e.g. manchester being majority labour - so no one votes

Question 22

Name 4 reasons that impact voter choice

Answer 22

Performance in Office
Policies
Leadership image
Media

Question 23

Give two examples of how policies impact voter choice

Answer 23

Boris Johnson wins election with Get Brexit Done slogan

Tony Blair wins with New Labour economic centrist policies - trebled NHS spending but maintained low taxes

Question 24

Give two examples of how performance in office impact voter choice

Answer 24

1979 - ‘Winter of Discontent’ under Callaghan led to Thatcher landslide

2010 - Labour poor handling of crisis in 2008 led to Cameron winning vs Brown - economy shrank by 6% and unemployment rose by 2%

Question 25

Give two examples of how leadership impact voter choice

Answer 25

Blair's charismatic leadership and rebranding of labour contrasted with Major's uninspiring image Cameron's modern persona contrasted with Brown's stern image - especially after "Bigot Gate" incident which damaged his reputation

Question 26

Give two examples of how media impact voter choice

Answer 26

Sun backed Blair with "The Sun backs Blair" and switched to Cameron showing how it sways public opinion Johnson and Corbyn TV debate showed Johnsons confident message on Brexit vs Corbyns unclear stance - media highlighted this in the debate

Question 27

In short what happened in the 1983 election

Answer 27

Thatcher won landslide by majority of 144 seats

Question 28

Name 2 patterns of voting behaviour in the 1983 election

Answer 28

Conservatives gained support across all classes showing class dealignment SDP and Liberal alliance decreased the Labour votes

Question 29

Name 2 impacts of media on the 1983 election

Answer 29

Right-wing press strongly backed Thatcher, The Sun’s “Vote for Maggie” campaign. Labour leader Michael Foot was mocked, e.g. The Sun’s “Do You Seriously Want This Old Man To Run Britain?” Only 22% of newspaper circulation backing Labour.

Question 30

Name 2 impacts of party manifestos in the 1983 election

Answer 30

Labour’s manifesto was seen as too extreme, calling for nuclear disarmament and EEC withdrawal. Conservatives promoted radical but popular policies, like union reform and privatisation. Falklands War victory stirred patriotism, boosting Conservative support through national pride.

Question 31

Name 2 impacts of leadership image in 1983 election

Answer 31

Thatcher’s TV presence was strong and controlled, using interviews and staged events to appear confident. Labour’s leader Michael Foot was seen as weak and too left-wing, harming their credibility.

Question 32

Name 2 impacts on policy making of the 1983 election

Answer 32

Conservatives’ large majority enabled bold policy, like defeating the miners and further privatisation. Labour’s defeat pushed the party toward centrism, laying the groundwork for future reform.

Question 33

In short what happened in the 1997 election

Answer 33

Labour won a landslide majority by 179 seats

Question 34

Name 2 influences of media in the 1997 GE

Answer 34

The SUN "backed Blair" and switched Labour had 62% of newspaper readership backing them.

Question 35

Name two impacts of party manifesto on the 1997 GE

Answer 35

Blairs slogan "Education" appealed to many Blair’s centrist “Third Way” appealed to a wide range of voters.

Question 36

Name 2 impacts of leadership on the 1997 GE

Answer 36

Blair’s charisma and modern image contrasted with Major’s dull persona. Blair offered a younh and revolutionary eppeal

Question 37

Name 2 impacts on policy making of the 1997 GE

Answer 37

Blair used his large majority to pass reforms like devolution, HRA 1998, and minimum wage. Labour's success led to further wins in 2001 and 2005.

Question 38

In short what happened in the 2019 GE

Answer 38

Johnson won an 80 seat majority , worst Labour defeat since 1935

Question 39

Name 2 influences of the media in the 2019 GE

Answer 39

Sun, Daily Mail backed Johnson TV debates of Corbyn and Johnson showed flaws of Labour's Brexit stance

Question 40

Name 2 impacts of party manifesto on the 2019 GE

Answer 40

“Get Brexit Done” slogan appealed to many Labour’s unclear Brexit stance hurt its support.

Question 41

Name 2 impacts of leadership on the 2019 GE

Answer 41

Johnson’s populist image and slogans resonated with working-class voters Corbyn's leadership faced criticism over anti-semetic allegations

Question 42

Name 2 impacts on policy making of the 2019 GE

Answer 42

Brexit was completed in Jan 2020. COVID-19 forced radical policy shifts, but his large majority gave him control - lockdowns