Electoral Systems Flashcards
(24 cards)
1
Q
What is a ‘Majoritarian’ System?
A
- when a candidate needs 50% + 1 votes to win
- an example of this system would be SV
2
Q
What is a ‘Plurality’ system?
A
- this is when the candidate with the most votes wins
- an example would be FPTP
3
Q
What is a ‘Proportional’ system?
A
- this is when the vote share will equate to the number of seats won
- an example would be STV
4
Q
What is a ‘Hybrid’ system?
A
- when an electoral system combines two or some systems
- an example would be AMS
5
Q
How does First Past The Post Work?
A
- the UK is divided into 650 constituencies
- voters will vote a local MP, which also votes for the government they want as MPs represent different political parties
- the party with the most MPs will form a government - if a party does not win a majority, a coalition is formed
6
Q
What are the functions of elections?
A
- to elect a representative
- to create a government to rule
- to pass verdict on former govt. performances
- gives govt a mandate + consent to rule
- gives voters a choice between political parties
- opportunities for political participation
7
Q
When are Mayoral elections held?
A
- every 4 years
8
Q
When are general elections held?
A
- every 5 years
9
Q
When are local council elections held?
A
-held annually but 1/3 at a time, and office is held for 3 years
10
Q
What are the advantages of using FPTP?
A
- Rapid results due the simplicity of the system : eg in 1997, Tony Blair moved into Downing Street the day after the election results
- It is a plurality system, which means that the government will have a strong mandate, making it easier to pass legislation: eg : labour currently holds 404 seats in the commons, while the CP only hold 121 - meaning that its easier for labour to push through their own agenda (winner takes it all)
- strong link between MPs and their constituents: one MP is elected for each constituency - since they campaign in small areas and not on a national scale, it is easier to connect with the electorate
11
Q
What are the disadvantages of using FPTP?
A
- the link between MPs and constituents is not that strong ; in the 2015 General election, MP Alsadair McDonnell was voted in with only 25% of the votes in his constituency, Belfast South, meaning more people voted against him than for him
- the system is deeply disproportional on a national scale, as vote share does not equate to seats : eg in the 2024 GE, labour won 34% of the overall vote however 64% of the votes in the commons
- minor parties tend to suffer due to this - evident in the greens, reform + Lib Dems - it is difficult to gain seats in the commons unless they win over numerous geographical locations throughout the UK
12
Q
What is meant by a ‘safe seat’?
A
- a constituency where one party is so dominant that it is almost unthinkable that it will not win the seat at every election
13
Q
What is meant by a ‘marginal’ seat?
A
- a constituency where more than one party has a realistic chance of winning the seat at an election and the outcome of the election is likely to be close
14
Q
What are the outcomes of using FPTP?
A
- many seats are safe seats, only a minority of seats are marginal
- usually the system tends to produce a result where a single party wins an overall majority of the seats in the commons and can therefore govern without the support of members of other parties
- small parties have virtually no chance of winning seats
- associated with a two party system
15
Q
Where is FPTP used?
A
- The House of Commons, mayoral elections in England, Police and Crime Commissioner elections and local councils in England and Wales use the first-past-the-post system.
16
Q
How does ‘Additional Member System’ work?
A
- it is a hybrid system between first past the post and proportional representation
- two thirds of the sets are elected by FPTP
- the other third of the seats are elected on the basis of closed regional list voting. The country is divided into regions and each party offers a list of candidates for each region
- voters have two votes - one for the constituency and the other for one of the party lists
- seats are awarded to each party in the last system in proportion to the votes cast, the more votes, the more seats awarded
- important variation in the regional list part of the vote: the variable top up system, which adjusts the proportions of votes cast on the list system - complex calculation using the D’Hondt method
- parties that do less well in the constituencies (typically conservatives or greens) have their proportion of list votes adjusted upwards - those that do proportionally well under FPTP (typically labour) have their lost votes adjusted downwards
-overall effect of the variable top up method is to make the total result close to proportional of the total votes cast in both systems
17
Q
What are the outcomes of AMS?
A
- overall outcome tends to be approximately proportional to the votes cast
- there are many safe constituency seats, so there are few violent swings in the seats won for each of the parties
- voters have two votes : a minority ‘split the ticket’ by voting for one party in the constituency vote but a different party in the list part of the system
- small parties can win seats even though they do not have a chance of winning any constituencies
18
Q
What are the advantages of AMS?
A
- more choice : in the first vote, voters choose a representative from one party, but in the second list vote they may switch to a different party
- proportional : the overall result is fairer due to the element of PR. For example, the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections saw a maximum difference of 5% between the votes received and the MSPS returned
- more views represented : possible that a greater number of parties will be represented in the government as a coalition is more likely to
- every vote counts : although voters may find their chosen constituency candidate has little chance of winning, their second vote will help to elect a representative from the party of their choice
- more choice of representatives
19
Q
What are the disadvantages of AMS?
A
- complex: elections are complicated with two votes and in deciding which candidates are elected from the regional low
- multiple representatives : having several MPs to represent each voter is confusing for some voters
-coalitions more likely : coalition or a minority government becomes likely. This can slow down decision making. It can also give more power to smaller parties if the larger party in government depends on their support - not most proportional system: although AMS is a proportional representation system, it is not the most proportional system. For example, the SNP received around 44% of the vote in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election but returned 49% of MSPs (63 out of 129) while the Liberal Democrat’s received around 7% of the vote but only returned 5 MSPS (4%)
- parties control regional lists: Second vote is used to select representatives from a list to make the overall result proportional. This is less democratic as political parties not voters decide the order of the candidates on the list
20
Q
Where is AMS used?
A
- used to elect parliaments of Scotland and Wales, and the London assembly
21
Q
How does the Single Transferable Vote work?
A
- voters put the candidates in their order of preference by placing a number 1, 2, 3 etc beside their names
- voters can vote for candidates from different parties or even all the parties, though very few actually do
- at the count, an electoral quota is calculated (droop formula)
- at first, all the first preferences are counted for each candidate. Any candidates who achieve the quota are elected automatically
- the counting gets complicated after this stage : essentially, the second and subsequent preferences from the ballot papers of the elected candidates are added to the other candidates. If this results in an individual achieving the quota, candidate is elected (votes are redistributed)
- this process continues until 6 candidates have achieved the quota and are elected
22
Q
What are the outcomes of STV?
A
- the overall outcome is largely proportional to the first preference votes case for each party
- it results in a multi-party system
- very small parties and independent candidates have a chance of winning seats
- the fact that voters can discriminate between all the candidates and have many votes leads to a candidates with greater social and demographic diversity being elected
23
Q
When was the AV referendum?
A
- 2011
24
Q
A
