electoral systems

Question 1

what do electoral systems in the UK do?

Answer 1

Electoral systems in the UK choose the government, provide an opportunity for political participation, choose representatives to represent the electorate and hold the government to account.

Question 2

First Past The Post (FPTP)

Answer 2

It is a plurality system where the candidate with the most votes wins the election and does not have to win a certain majority of votes.

FPTP is used in UK general elections where voters cast one vote for their preferred candidate, and the candidate with the largest number of votes in a constituency (seat) will be elected to parliament as an MP.

Question 3

how many constituencies are there?

Answer 3

650

Question 4

what are the advantages of FPTP?

Answer 4

FPTP often leads to a strong government with a clear mandate to carry out policies mentioned in their manifesto. FPTP gives voters a clear choice and promotes a system where two parties dominate (labour and conservative)

In 1997 Tony Blair carried out constitutional reforms after a large election where Labour won 418 out of 650 seats.
FPTP provides strong representation in the UK with small constituencies having a single MP to represent their interests- to find out these interests MPs hold surgeries often. The average UK constituency size is 72,000.

It is easy and simple for voters to understand how FPTP works.

Question 5

what are the disadvantages of fptp?

Answer 5

FPTP is not a proportional system as votes do not translate into seats. FPTP benefits parties with concentrated support, whilst more thinly spread support wins fewer seats.

In the 2015 general election, the SNP’s 1.4 million votes were highly concentrated in Scotland and translated into 56 seats whilst UKIP’s 3.8 million votes translated into 1 seat.

There is limited choice for some voters in FPTP because many seats are ‘safe seats’ where the MP has a secure majority and it is very unlikely that another candidate will win the election.

Theresa May’s constituency, Maidenhead, is a safe seat with the Conservatives winning over 60% of the vote in 2017.

This can lead to people voting for other parties feeling as if their vote is wasted.

In 2017, the North East Fife Constituency saw 67% of votes wasted for losing candidates with the SNP winning the constituency by a majority of 2 votes
FPTP often results in a government being elected with a minority of the popular vote (less than 50%) which weakens the government’s mandate. People may think of a government with a minority of the popular vote as being unrepresentative of the will of the people.

Question 6

what is STV?

Answer 6

Single Transferable Vote (STV)

Question 7

how does STV work?

Answer 7

The single transferable vote is a voting system used in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
STV divides a country into multi-member constituencies.
Voters number their choice of candidate in order of preference.

Candidates require a certain quota to be elected, this is calculated by dividing the total votes cast by (the number of seats contested in the constituency plus one), and then adding one (the Droop formula).

If no candidate reaches the quota on the first round of voting then the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated and the second preference of voters supporting them is redistributed

Question 8

what are the advantages of STV?

Answer 8

STV offers a large choice for voters because multi-member constituencies mean that voters can choose between candidates from the same party and from different parties.

It encourages positive campaigning, because candidates wish to gain transferred votes from other candidates.

Votes and seats are highly proportional to one another.

Parties with more thinly distributed votes can win seats unlikely in FPTP.

There are fewer wasted votes because voters’ second preferences are transferred to another candidate if their first preference candidate is eliminated.

Question 9

what are the disadvantages of STV?

Answer 9

In the system of STV, the link between members and voters can be weak because many members represent the same constituents rather than one member.

The voting system is more complicated than FPTP and takes longer to reach a final result, particularly if there are many rounds of counts where candidates are eliminated.

Donkey voting can take place where voters rank the candidates in the order they appear on the ballot paper, rather than ordering based on their preference

Question 10

FPTP VS STV COMPARED

Answer 10

FPTP and STV differ in the strength of the government they produce, the choice of candidates for voters, the fairness of the outcome and link between the members standing for election and constituency.

Question 11

stength of government; fptp vs stv

Answer 11

FPTP is likely to produce a government with a stronger mandate to govern than under STV.

Under STV, a coalition government is more likely which can lead to instability and less effective policymaking than under the FPTP system which produces a one-party winner.

STV can also result in a minority government which is a government that runs the country but without a majority of seats in the legislature.

Question 12

when FPTP doesn’t produce a strong government

Answer 12

FPTP can result in a minority government, as with the Conservative government in 2017.

FPTP can result in a coalition government, as with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in 2010.

Question 13

outcome fairness; fptp vs stv

Answer 13

FPTP is less proportional in transferring votes into seats, whilst STV translates votes into seats more fairly.

Under STV smaller parties and parties with a more thinly spread support are better represented than under FPTP.

In the 2017 general election which uses FPTP, the Liberal Democrats won over 7% of the vote but under 2% of seats in Parliament. UKIP won 600,000 votes but no seats.

Question 14

representatitve link; fptp vs stv

Answer 14

FPTP provides a strong link between politicians and the voters who they represent.

STV can provide a weaker link between representatives and voters because of large multi-member constituencies where many members represent the same constituents.

In the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, there are 5 members representing each constituency.

Question 15

How does Additional Member System (AMS) work?

Answer 15

This is the electoral system used for the welsh assembly, Scottish parliament and the greater London assembly elections.

AMS is an electoral system where voters have two votes: one vote for their constituency representative using FPTP and a second vote for a ‘party list’ to elect an ‘additional’ representative.

The party list uses multi-member regional constituencies and a party’s list of candidates is published before the election.

Question 16

How does the Additional Member’s of the AMS work?

Answer 16

After the FPTP-style voting for constituency representatives has been counted, additional members are added proportionally based on the proportion of voting support for each party so that parliament more closely matches how the country voted.

Additional members are added to regional constituencies to match how the constituencies voted. They may increase a party’s representation in the area if they had a lot of support but couldn’t win against safe seats.

Question 17

scottish parliament; AMS system?

Answer 17

In Scottish Parliament elections, FPTP elects 73 members and whilst 56 seats are filled by using list members.

The 56 additional members are allocated to 8 regional seats, and there are 7 additional members per region.

The number of additional members each party gets depends on the proportion of votes they receive in an election.

Question 18

what are the advantages of AMS?

Answer 18

Link and proportional: AMS ensures there is a strong link between the MP elected by the FPTP vote and their constituents who directly vote for them. AMS has a proportional element to it through proportionally assigning seats to parties from the lists based on the number of votes for each party.

Choice: AMS gives voters more choice because they can use one vote for an MP they support and another to support a party of their choosing. Voters can vote for a ‘split ticket’ where they support an MP from one party and use their party list vote to support a different party.

Question 18

what are the disadvantages of AMS?

Answer 18

Smaller parties are less well represented under AMS than in an entirely proportional system because the party list system can advantage the largest parties.
In Wales, there are a small number of top-up seats, which favours the Labour Party.

Party list candidates have less legitimacy than members elected by the FPTP vote because they aren’t directly elected with a personal mandate from voters.

AMS lacks democratic transparency because the party decides who is on the party list and ranks the order of candidates.

Question 19

How does the Supplementary Vote system work?

Answer 19

A voter has a first and second preference vote.

The candidate elected requires at least 50% of the first preference votes.

If no candidates win over 50% then all candidates are eliminated except the top two who will have the second preference redistributed to them to decide the winner.

Question 20

what are the advantages of the supplementary vote system?

Answer 20

SV is a simple voting system because voters only need to select a first and second preference by marking two Xs rather than writing multiple numbers.

SV stops candidates winning through having a small level of support and encourages more positive campaigning as candidates need the second preference votes of other parties.

SV ensures large support for the winning candidate such as with Sadiq Khan winning 56.8% of the total vote in the 2016 London Mayor election.

Question 21

what are the disadvantages of the supplementary vote system?

Answer 21

Votes can be wasted because voters only choose two candidates meaning that many votes can be excluded from the final count if their top two candidates are eliminated.

In the 2012 London Mayor election, 15% of votes were wasted in round one and over 7% of votes in round two.

SV is not proportional to the wishes of a region - only one candidate is elected, rather than multiple proportionally reflecting the wishes of the voters

The winning candidate does not require an absolute majority (over 50%) of votes and so can be elected with minority support - they just need the most votes in total after the second round.

Question 22

what are referendums?

Answer 22

A referendum is a vote on a specific issue which asks citizens to make a decision, often through a yes or no response.
Referendums are often called when an important national decision or constitutional change is considered and the government feels it needs the support of the public.

Question 23

what are the reasons for referendums?

Answer 23

1) A referendum may be held in response to pressure over a particular issue.

eg. The EU referendum in 2016 was promised by David Cameron if the Conservatives were re-elected in 2015. Cameron made this promise because of political pressure favouring a referendum, and the fear of losing votes to UKIP in the general election.

2) A referendum can be called to ensure significant government initiatives have public approval.

Eg. the 2011 AV electoral system referendum was agreed upon as part of the conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government agreement in 2010.

Question 24

what is devolution?

Answer 24

Devolution: the decentralisation of power from Westminister to other areas in the UK.

Question 25

what have referendums been used for in the UK?

Answer 25

Devolution

Election system: in 2011 the UK voted against changing the electoral system to AV from FPTP by 67.9% to 32.1%

Independence: in 2014, Scotland voted against becoming an independent country, and in 2016 the UK voted in favour of leaving the EU by 51.9% to 48.1%

Question 26

what referendums have taken place on devolution?

Answer 26

In 1997 referendum votes supported devolving power to Scotland and Wales.

In 1998 there were referendum votes in favour of devolving power to Northern Ireland and establishing a London Mayor and Assembly.

In 2004 regions in England voted on regional assemblies. The North East of England rejected an assembly, voting 78% against the proposal.

Question 27

what are referendums said to do?

Answer 27

Referendums can increase political engagement, hold the government to account and resolve political issues. However, participation is often low and they can challenge parliamentary sovereignty.

Question 28

what are the advantages of referendums?

Answer 28

Education and engagement: Referendums increase the political awareness and education of voters over key issues as a wide range of issues around the referendum are often debated.

Some UK referendums have increased political engagement with high turnouts, such as 81% in the 1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum and 84.6% in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

Clear outcome: Referendums which have a clear outcome resolve political arguments.
In the 1997 Scottish Parliament referendum over 74% of people voted in favour of a Scottish Parliament which addressed the issue of whether Scotland should have its own parliament.

Direct voter power: Referendums give citizens the chance to make decisions directly, which is important in a democracy. A referendum gives the electorate a chance to voice their view on a single issue. Referendums hold the government to account in between elections which only gives voters the power to influence decisions every five years.

Question 29

what are the disadvantages of referendums?

Answer 29

Parliamentary sovereignty: Referendums challenge parliamentary sovereignty as decisions are made directly by the public rather than representative MPs who have been elected to make decisions for voters. Elected politicians should be making decisions on complex political issues rather than the general public who do not have the knowledge and expertise to decide themselves. The EU referendum was on a complex issue that some people believe the public was not informed enough to make a rational decision on when voting.

Can be manipulated: The way in which questions are phrased and the timing of them can manipulate results.
The wording of the 2016 EU Referendum was changed from “yes/no” to “remain/leave”. This is because “yes/no” questions may benefit the “yes” side.
The electorate can be influenced, particularly by influential political figures, campaigns or the media. People may vote with their emotions rather than considering all of the options available.

There is often low participation and low voter turnout in UK referendums which limits how legitimate the referendum decision is.

Or

Governments make the decision to call a referendum and hold them for their own political purposes.

Question 30

Are referendums compatible with parliamentary democracy?

Answer 30

Many constitutional experts would argue that referendums are unnatural to the Westminister model:

The institution of parliament is a representative democracy.

MPs are representatives who vote on behalf of their constituents.

Hence, direct democracy can be challenging to reconcile.

But, referendums have been used to settle constitutional questions.

Question 31

Why, until 2016 have UK referendums not led to constitutional challenges?

Answer 31

The UK has held referendums on several issues.

Before 2016, the outcome of the referendums had always been in favour of the status quo.

For example, the 2011 AV referendum resulted in preserving the FPTP system.

The European referendum was the first time a direct result was delivered that did not match the political makeup of the legislature.

This has led to a serious stretching of the UK’s unwritten constitution as MPs grapple with an outcome which they would not have enacted themselves.