Electoral Systems Flashcards
(35 cards)
1
Q
What is a mandate?
A
The authority to act on behalf of a constituency as its representative. For the party that wins the election, the mandate is the authority to create policy.
2
Q
What is a mandate?
A
The authority to act on behalf of a
constituency as its representative. For the party that wins the election, the mandate is the authority to create policy.
3
Q
What are the four functions of elections?
A
-
Limiting the power of elected representatives: Limitations are placed on governments through elections in the simple knowledge that they
will face election again in 5 years time. Non-governmental MP’s are also elected who go on
to form the opposition. -
Holding the current elected representatives to account: If the public are unhappy,
governmentents are voted out. -
Choosing an elected representative and
government: This is central in a representative democracy. - Legitimising political power: If a government is formed as a product of a fair and free election, it gives the MP’s and government a strong mandate. However, if voter turnout is low election results are not seen to be legitimate
4
Q
What are the features of FPTP?
A
- First Past the Post is a plurality system.
- The UK is split into 650 constituencies, all of which contain roughly 70,000 people.
- In each constituency individuals contest General Elections to win the one seat in parliament available to represent the constituency.
- At the end of the election, the party with the most seats goes on to form the government.
- There are no prizes for 2nd place, and therefore FPTP is a “winner takes all” system.
5
Q
Where is FPTP used in?
A
- Local council elections England/Wales
- General Elections
6
Q
What are the potential issues with FPTP?
A
- **FPTP has been controversial – **2011 AV Referendum attempted to change the UK electoral system.
-
In modern times each constituency has been
represented by one MP. However, before 1948, some were dual-member constituencies, such as Lancashire towns Blackburn and Bolton. - Average constituency includes roughly 70,000 members. However, there is significant variation and the independent Boundary Commission is responsible for redrawing boundaries.
7
Q
How is “Simplicity” an advantage of FPTP?
A
- First Past the Post is easy to use, people tend to understand the rationale and therefore are more likely to go out to vote.
- This is particularly true when we compare turnout in elections using First Past the Post compared to Proportional Representation.
8
Q
How is “Strong Government” an advantage of FPTP?
A
- Typically, there is a clear and legitimate winner.
- The “winner’s bonus” of FPTP has usually provided the victorious party with a majority, which means they can pass their legislation easily and in line with the public’s wishes.
- GE2010 was the first hung parliament in over 30 years.
9
Q
How is “MP-Constituency Link” an advantage of FPTP?
A
- Each of the 650 constituencies has one MP. This fosters a clear relationship between the MP and those who they represent.
- In Scotland, each person is represented by 8 MSP’s due to the form of Proportional Representation used
10
Q
How is “No Majority Needed” a disadvantage of FPTP?
A
- Due to being a plurality system, there is no majority needed to win the election.
- Plurality voting gives rise to a number of questions of legitimacy with the winning party potentially having less votes compared to their opposition combined.
- This means a significant number of votes go to waste every year.
11
Q
How is “Disproportionate Result” a disadvantage of FPTP?
A
- FPTP has generated results with significantly
disproportionate seats gained in relation to
votes cast- known as the winners bonus. - This leads to under-representation of smaller parties and independent candidates.
12
Q
How is “Lack of Voter Choice” a disadvantage of FPTP?
A
- First Past the Post means in many constituencies Labour and Conservative are the only viable options.
- Eg, a Lib Dem voter may choose to vote Labour tactically as they may see it as the “least bad” option of the two.
- Therefore, FPTP may promote tactical voting. Evidence of this was seen in GE 24.
13
Q
How is devolution in England presented through Mayors?
A
- The introduction of directly elected mayors in England under Tony Blair was part of his
government’s local government reform. - The Local Government Act 2000 allowed local authorities to adopt different leadership models, including directly elected mayors.
- Councils could hold referendums to choose the mayoral system, with some larger cities, like
London, adopting it, while many others chose
different leadership structures.
14
Q
Whats a Majoritarian System?
A
- A majority of 50%+1 to win. Possibly to do with the number of votes needed to win a seat.
- May refer to the number of seats needed to form a government, Tends to uphold the two party system.
- Used in: Supplementary Vote (SV), Mayor elections until 2024.
15
Q
What is a Plurality System?
A
- More votes than any one individual/ group is needed to win.
- No majority is required for a seat.
- Likely to produce a two party system.
- Used in: First Past the Post (FPTP), General Elections and Mayor Elections from ‘24.
16
Q
What is Proportional Representation?
A
- Allocates seats that roughly reflect the percentage of votes gained by a party.
- There are no purely proportional representation systems used in the UK, but some are close.
- Likely to support a multiparty system.
- Used in: Additional Member System (AMS) - Scottish Parliament elections, Single Transferable Vote (STV)- Northern Irish Assembly, Scottish Local Council elections
17
Q
How is the NI Assembly Structured?
A
- The NI Assembly, referred to as Stormont, is the legislative body of Northern Ireland. The Assembly has authority over areas such as health, education, justice, agriculture, and infrastructure.
- There are 90 Members of the Legislative Assembly, led by the First Minister of Northern Ireland. Elections are every 5 years, and the Single Transferable Vote is used to elect its members.
- The Assembly has faced multiple suspensions since its creation due to political deadlock between parties. It is currently functioning but remains sensitive to political development
18
Q
How does the Single Transferable Vote work?
A
- The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is a voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference. This is called ordinal voting.
- To win, candidates must reach a quota of votes.
- First, all first-choice votes are counted. If a candidate meets the quota, they are elected.
- Extra votes for elected candidates are transferred to other candidates based on voters’ next preferences.
- If no one meets the quota, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are transferred. This process repeats until all seats are filled.
19
Q
What is the Droop Formula?
A
The process by which votes are transferred
under the Single Transferable Vote System.
20
Q
What are the importance of Constituency Boundaries under the Single Transferable Vote?
A
- They determine the pool of candidates and the distribution of voters.
- Larger, multi-member constituencies are essential for STV, as this system requires multiple seats to allow for proportional representation.
- Well-drawn boundaries ensure that different groups within the population are fairly represented, and voters have a meaningful choice among candidates.
21
Q
What does Gerrymandering mean?
A
When electoral boundaries are tailored in support of a specific party.
22
Q
What are the advantages of STV?
A
- Proportional Result. STV is the UK’s most proportional system, which increases the legitimacy of the result.
- Voter Choice. Voters have a great degree of choice due to ranking candidates by preference. Parties can put forward multiple candidates on the list, meaning if the voter does not like the candidate but the party they can choose someone else.
- Greater Representation. Like the Additional Member systems, having multi-member constituencies means that a voter is likely to have at least one person elected under this system who aligns with their ideology
23
Q
What are the disadvantages of STV?
A
-
More complicated: Although the voting process is simple, the use of Droop formula is widely misunderstood which may reduce turnout. STV is also associated with “donkey voting” where voters simply rank in the order
that the candidates come in. - Unlikely to produce a single party government: The Good Friday Agreement stipulates that there must be a coalition government. However, even if this weren’t to be the case, coalitions are more likely which are often associated with weaker governments (Stormont Shutdowns).
- Constituency link: Being in multi-member constituencies can be confusing for some people, and they do not feel the same direct link to their representatives as with FPTP.
24
Q
What is the Supplementary Vote?
A
A majoritarian system used in the UK in which voters can express two preferences. This was used in Mayoral elections until 2024, and is used in police commissioner elections.
25
How does the Supplementary Vote function?
- Voters get two votes which they use preferentially.
- All first-choice votes are counted initially. **If a candidate receives more than 50% of these votes, they win outright**.
- If no candidate secures more than 50% of the first-choice votes, the **third** candidates votes are **disregarded entirely** and their votes transferred based on the voters’ second choices.
- This process continues, with the lowest candidate being eliminated and their votes redistributed, **until one candidate achieves a majority** and is declared the winner.
- SV helps ensure that the winning candidate has broad support, as it combines the initial preference with secondary choices.
26
What are the advantages of Supplementary Vote?
- The winning candidate will have a strong majority, and this system helps to keep extremist parties out of
power.
- Voters get to cast two votes, and can use their second preference on a smaller party. IF their first vote is eliminated, there is less chance of their vote being.
- Unlike PR, SV is easier for voters to understand in terms of how to vote and how the votes are counted.
27
What are the disadvantages of Supplementary Vote?
- The elimination of all but two candidates means it is much harder for smaller parties and independents.
- The majorities created are often false, as a result of votes being transferred.
- There are still a huge number of wasted votes with SV, like FPTP.
28
How is the Scottish Parliament structured?
- The Scottish Parliament opened in 1999, with Donald Dewar (Liberal Democrat) as it’s premier First Minister.
- The Parliament is located in Edinburgh, and is often referred to as Holyrood. **There are 129 seats overall in the Parliament, which is led by the FIrst Minister of Scotland**.
- The Parliament has responsibility for the devolved powers- some forms of tax, education, health (as some examples).
- **Elections are every 5 years, and use the Additional Member System**. This is a hybrid system of FPTP and PR.
29
How Does the Additional Member System Work?
- **First Vote**: For a constituency representative. This part uses the FPTP system. Voters cast their vote for a candidate in their local constituency, and the candidate with the most votes wins.
- **Second Vote**: For a political party in a regional or party list. This vote is used to allocate additional seats to ensure the overall outcome is more proportional.
- After the constituency seats are filled, the second vote (the party vote) is used to **allocate additional seats from regional lists to parties** that may be underrepresented after the FPTP round.
- These additional (or “top-up”) seats are given to candidates from party lists, with the aim of balancing out the disproportionate results caused by FPTP.
30
What is the D'hont formula?
- The mathematical equation used to allocate regional votes in order to balance out the disproportionate nature of FPTP used in the constituency vote.
- Ensures that no party can easily secure a landslide victory in both the constituency and regional seats, making it unlikely for any party to win an outright majority of the 129 seats.
31
What happened on The Year the SNP “Broke the System” (2011)?
- In 2011, the SNP were able to overcome the D’hont formula purpose of ensuring no party was able to excel in both the constituency and regional vote-gaining 69 votes in total.
- This was achieved by the SNP gaining a majority simply in the constituency vote, and still being topped up with the regional vote.
- In 2021 the party campaigned for this again, but fell one short of a majority with 64 seats in total.
32
What are the advantages of using referendums?
- **Engagement and turnout**: Referendums are said to make the public more politically aware, leading to higher turnout.
- **Settling controversial issues**: Referendums may be seen as a fair way of putting an end to ongoing debates.
- **Legitimacy and mandate**: Putting power into the hands of the public means that change can be made in a more legitimate way
- **Direct democracy**: Direct democracy is the ultimate check on the government’s power.
33
What are the disadvantages of using referendums?
- Electoral fatigue: From local council elections, to devolved elections, and general elections- the public can become fatigued with voting, leading to voter turnout.
- Referendums cause division. Referendums are won and lost on small margins, often this solidifies division instead of solving it. Some would argue referendums only support short-term thinking.
34
What was the North East Assembly Referendum in 2004?
- The key question in the 2004 North East Assembly referendum was whether the North East of England should have an elected assembly with powers over local matters like transport and economic development.
- **Turnout**: 48% of the electorate.
- **Outcome**: No (78%), Yes (12%).
- **Political Impact of the Referendum**: The 2004 was the first time that Blair’s Labour government had seen any real electoral downfall. A no vote of 78% highlighted some disparity between the Labour governments vision for the country, and what voters want. Ultimately, Labour was forced into considering it’s ideas for regional empowerment with this decisive say from the UK public.
35
Who were the Proponents and the opponents of the North East Assembly Referendum - 2004?
- **Proponents**: This was vividly supported by Tony Blair and Deputy PM John Prescott. Tony Blair’s “New Labour” had a strong focus on local government empowerment and regional devolution. This was supported by the traditional Labour supporters such as Prescott.
- **Opponents**: The Conservatives were set against the idea in 2004. They believed it would create unnecessary bureaucracy whilst also failing to address regional issues in the North East. Lib Dems also opposed the idea. They had concerns that a North
East assembly would be a “white elephant” and come at a high cost, with little political impact.
