Electoral Systems Flashcards
(9 cards)
How can voter choice be used to judge electoral systems?
How much choice in given to voters. Many different factors come into this including: How many votes voters get and whether they can vote for more than one party/candidate, How many candidates/parties are standing, How much influence votes have on the outcome and whether this varies between voters.
How can representation and proportionality be used to judge electoral systems?
Arguably the most important way that electoral systems should be judged. What is the point in voting if it doesn’t have an impact on the outcome? How proportional an electoral system is can be judged by the correlation between votes cast and seats won. The closer the correlation, the more proportional it is.
How can the link between representative and represented be used to judge electoral systems?
in relation to the strength of the link between the representatives and the represented and the extent to which the former is responsive to the latter. Different ways this could be analysed include the number of reps per voter and whether each representative represents a particular community such as a geographical community.
How can the type of government and politics be used to judge electoral systems?
It could include how cooperative parliament and governance is, as well as how strong the gov is and whether it is often a single party gov.
What are the functions of elections?
- Representation: choosing a representative to speak on behalf of the community and provide a link between them and the decision making taken on behalf of them.
- Choosing a government: voters choose a gov at elections and provide it with legitimacy.
- Scrutiny and Accountability: Elections give voters the ability to review the performance of the current government and their current representative and replace it.
- Participation and influence over policy: Voting is the most important way in which ordinary citizens take part in politics and make political judgements through manifestos.
Where is FPTP used?
In UK GEs and local council elections in England and Wales.
How does FPTP work?
- Voters cast a single vote by placing a cross next to the preferred candidate in their constituency is roughly 75,000.
- It is a simple plurality system, with the candidate with the largest number of voters in a constituency elected as MP, even if they don’t win an overall majority.
What are the 3 advantages of FPTP?
-SIMPLICITY AND SPEED: Easy to use for voters, who only have to select one candidate. The result is also known relatively quickly.
For example, in 1997, Tony Blair arrived at Downing Street as the new PM at 1pm the day after the election.
Simplicity and familiarity: people like it because it is simple to use and they know how to use it.
We can see this in the AV Ref 2011, 68% of voters voted against it. 42% turnout.
Under a more proportional system, it would take longer to form a gov as a coalition would be more likely.
For example, after the 2007 Scottish Parliament Election, it took 2 weeks for the SNP to be sworn in after a failed coalition attempt with the Lib Dems.
- STRONG SINGLE PARTY GOVS:
It promotes a two party system that gives voters a clear choice and usually results in a clear majority for one party, which then has a strong mandate to carry out its programme of gov and bring about effective change.
In 1980s, this enabled Thatcher to bring about widespread changes to the economy, similarly in 1997, it gave Blair’s gov the mandate to carry out extensive constitutional reform.
This means that there is a clear choice and so voters can have it. - EXCLUSION OF EXTREMIST PARTIES
It leads to the exclusion of extremist parties, who are much less likely to have success under FPTP as it requires geographic concentration.
Reform UK currently has the second largest membership in the UK. Even above the Tories. Yet they only are represented by 5 seats. - MP/CONSTITUENCY LINK
A single representative results in effective representation of local interests and a strong link.
For example, in 2022, 33 Con MPs rebelled against Truss’ gov and abstained in a vote on banning fracking, despite the gov ordering them to oppose it as a result of local groups in their constituencies opposing fracking.
What are the disadvantages of
