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Politics Paper 1 🖤 > Electoral Systems > Flashcards

Electoral Systems Flashcards

1
Q

What is AMS

A
  • Additional Member System
  • Have two votes, one for a constituency rep elected using FPTP, second is a party (Proportional rep)
  • The Westminster-style ballot papers are counted first. The candidate with the most votes in the constituency wins.
  • The second ballot papers are then counted.
  • The people counting look at how many seats a party won on the first ballot paper.
  • They then add ‘additional members’ from the party lists to make parliament match how the country voted.
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2
Q

Where is the AMS voting system?

A

Scotland, Wales, London Assembly

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3
Q

What are the two votes for in AMS?

A
  1. Constituency vote (FPTP)
  2. regional vote (proportional rep)
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4
Q

what is the d’hont formula?

A

number of regional votes gained

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5
Q

which system uses the d’hont formula?

A

AMS

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6
Q

Advantages of AMS

A
  1. Gives minor parties a chance
  2. More representative - get 2 representatives
  3. proportional result
  4. Gov with broad popularity
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7
Q

Disadvantages of AMS

A
  1. party control - Can’t pick the MP which will hold a seat
  2. Unlikely single party gov
  3. Some disadvantages of FPTP
  4. more complicated
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8
Q

What are the advantages of FPTP?

A
  1. Clear winner and mandate
  2. strong gov (reduced chance of coalition)
  3. Simple
  4. MP constituency link
  5. clear choice/ voters are familiar and understand the system
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9
Q

What are the disadvantages of FPTP?

A
  1. lack of voter choice
  2. Unequal vote value
  3. Lack of a majority
  4. Two party System
  5. Disproportionate result
  6. concentrated support advantage
  7. encourages tactical voting
  8. Winners bonus
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10
Q

What are the implications of Marginal seats ?

A
  • campaigns will be focused on there’s areas
  • receive more attention than safe seats
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11
Q

What is a winners bonus ? Give an example.

A

Over rewarding the winning party
2019, Cons got 44% of popular vote but 56% of seats

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12
Q

What is STV?

A

Single Transferable Vote
voters rank their preferences in numerical order
to win, a candidate must obtain a quota ‘droop quota’
candidates with least votes are eliminated and their votes are transferred
candidates with excess votes above the quota also have votes transferred

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13
Q

Where is STV used ?

A

Northern Ireland

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14
Q

What does STV require voters to do ?

A

Ordinal voting/ ranking candidates

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15
Q

Through STV, what do they need to win?

A

‘A droop quota’

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16
Q

What are advantages of STV?

A
  1. proportional result
  2. voter choice
  3. greater representation
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17
Q

What are disadvantages of STV?

A
  1. complicated
  2. unlikely single party gov
  3. extremists can be elected
  4. no accountability
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18
Q

What is SV?

A

Supplementary vote
One column of boxes is for voters to mark their favourite candidate and one in which to mark a second favourite. Voters don’t have to mark a second favourite.

19
Q

Where WAS SV used?

A

London mayor election

20
Q

What is on the SV ballot paper?

A

Contains candidates listed, and two columns. One for voters first choice, and the other is the second choice.

21
Q

When are the second preferences used in SV?

A

If there isn’t a majority in all the first choice ballots

22
Q

What are the advantages of SV?

A

Get a majority result, strong and stable
More voter choice
Simple system

23
Q

What are the disadvantages of SV?

A
  • Two party dominance, result is not proportional and people may be tactical with their second preference
  • A false majority- in second round, many votes aren’t counted, meaning the winning may not have a true majority
  • Wasted votes
24
Q

Why are referendums held ?

A

-public pressure (Scotland ref)
-deciding on controversial ideas (EU)
-part of a coalition agreement (AV)
-gives legitimacy to constitutional changes

25
Q

How many people voted yes to the good Friday agreement?

A

71%

26
Q

What was the turnout for the good Friday agreement ref?

A

81%

27
Q

arguments for referedums

A
  1. purest from of democracy - uncorrupted by representative and demonstrates the will of the people
  2. mends rifts in society - making decisive results in divided communities such as 1998 vote on the belfast agreement
  3. solve conflicts in westminster - avoid political crisis due to factions i.e. EU referendums 1975 and 2016
  4. consent of the people - constitutional change decisions are respected
  5. people are better educated - more informed
28
Q

Arguments against referendums

A
  1. public not educated -
  2. undermine representative democracy - if used too often undermines the use of representatives
  3. can represent the ‘tyranny of the majority’ - majority that wins the vote can use the power to force the minority to accept a change which they did not agree with
  4. unreliable views - false campaigning
29
Q

What are the different party systems?

A

One party system
Dominant party system
Two party system
Two and a half party system
Multi party system

30
Q

What is a dominant party system?

A

Parties are freely allowed to operate but only 1 party has a real chance
Lacks accountability
Stable
E.g SNP in Scotland

31
Q

When was the UK a 2 party system?

A

1945-75

32
Q

What % of votes did the main parties gain in 2019?

A

76%

33
Q

What % of the vote did the libdems secure in 2010?

A

23%

34
Q

What % of seats did the two parties gain in 2019?

A

87%

35
Q

Define ‘absolute majority’

A

Candidate wins over 50% of vote

36
Q

Define plurality

A

Winning more votes than your rival

37
Q

What is an example of a safe seat?

A
  • Birmingham, Ladywood West Midlands
    68% LABOUR turnout was 56%
38
Q

What’s an example of a marginal seat?

A

Bury south, 0.8% majority to con
67% turnout

39
Q

What’s an example of a winner takes all scenario in 2015

A

McDonnall won Belfast with 25% of the vote

40
Q

What’s an example of a ‘winner’s bonus’?

A

Con gov in 2015 got 37% of the popular vote but 51% seats
Con gov in 2019 got 44% of the popular vote but 56% seats

41
Q

How did the 2010, 2015, and 2017 elections demonstrate the failures of FPTP?

A

2010: No overall majority. Coalition agreement became their manifesto
2015: Conservatives gained a small majority
2017: There was no majority gained so the conservatives formed a minority gov with an agreement of confidence and supply from Democratic Unionist Party.

42
Q

What’s an example which demonstrates the power of by-elections?

A

Owen Patterson’s North Shropshire seat was a safe seat but when he resigned it was taken by Lib Dems.

43
Q

Who discusses FPTP as an ‘elected dictatorship’?

A

Lord Hailsham

44
Q

What was the result to the 2011 AV Ref?

A

AV was rejected by 68% of voters
turnout of 42%

Politics Paper 1 🖤 (11 decks)

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