Electoral Systems Flashcards
(17 cards)
First past the post
This is the main electoral system used in the UK, because it is simple and easy for voters to understand.
There are 650 constituencies and for each one MP is chosen.
There are around 75000 voters in each constituency.
It is a simple plurality system which means that the candidate with the largest number of votes wins, often is seen as a two party system.
Advantages of FPTP
One advantage of the FPTP is its speed and simplicity. This also is the key reason why it has been kept by the electorate for so long even after the 2011 Electoral Reform. Voters go and cast one vote and usually the result of the election is known in the end of the polling day. An example of this is that in 1997 Tony Blair arrived at Downing street as the new PM at 1pm the day after the election.
Another advantage of FPTP is that it forms a strong single party government. It often leads to a two party system, that gives voters a clear choice often with Conservatives and Labour as their alternative. An example of this is M Thatcher in 1990. She was able to make fundamental changes to the economy due to her strong support.
Another benefit of FPTP is that it excludes extremist parties. These parties a less likely to succeed, as success in FPTP requires geographically concentrated support. An example of this is the British National Party in 2010,who won 2% of the national vote, but didn’t finish higher than 3rd in any constituency
Disadvantages of FPTP
Very unproportionate. The lack of representation in constituencies translates to a lack of proportionality on a national level, where votes are not translated into seats with real accuracy. An example of this are the outcomes of the 2019 election where CON won 56% of the seats with just 43.6% of the vote. This leaves a lot of voters with the idea that this system lacks legitimacy. For example candidates that are ranked 2nd or 3rd in the constituency with large numbers of votes are not awarded at all by FPTP.
Another downside of the FPTP is that it doesn’t favor smaller parties, who don’t have geographically concentrated support. In 2019 Lib dems won 11.5% of the vote and just 11 seats, that can be seen as a benefit to exclude extremist parties, but it can also be seen as a real democratic deficit. However this contrasts with the SNP, who benefit from the FPTP as their vote is geographically concentrated.In 2015 they won 95% of Scottish seats with 50% of the vote.
Limited voters choice. Voters only cast one vote and cannot rank their preferences, as the AMS or STV allows. Thefore votes for a party that didn’t win in a constituency are effectively wasted. This often leads to tactical voting where voters vote not for their preferred party but for a different one in order for their least favourite party not to win
Safe seats
Parties do not pay much attention to these seats and this often leads to voters feeling excluded. This is place where a party is most likely to win. For example the Conservatives do very well in the Southeast of the UK. Labour do very well in Liverpool.
Marginal seats
Votes here matter a lot more, leading to higher turnout. Parties tend to campaign a lot more in these areas. Votes in marginal seats are clearly more valuable than votes in safe seats as the voters in marginal seats will feel they may influence the result.
Additional Members System AMS
AMS is used in elections to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh and Greater London Assembly. It is a mix of the FPTP and PR where votes are transferred more equally into seats.
Voters have two votes one for a constituency representative and one for a party
Advantages of AMS
Voters have a wider choice. They can vote in a split-ticket, if they wish(voting for one party representative of their constituency and voting for another party in the regional list) Therefore this leads to less votes being waisted. An example of this is the 2021 election where the Greens won 1.29% of the constituency votes, but 8.12% of the regional party votes and got 8 seats.
Disadvantages of AMS
Because it is a dual voting system, it may seem confusing to some people. This may later on lead to lower voter engagement, if they don’t know how their vote impacts the overall outcome.
Because AMS includes a proportional element, it is less likely that a single party will win an outright majority, therefore leading to a less stable government. This is especially true when there is a wide spread of smaller parties competing in the regional list vote. The system is deliberately designed to limit the dominance of larger parties — which means coalitions or minority governments are more common. For example in the six Scottish governments since devolution 3 have been a coalition and 2 have been minority governments.
Single Transferable Vote STV
STV is a proportional voting system used in multi-member constituencies — meaning each area elects several representatives, not just one. In NI there are 18 constituencies, each returning 5 members.
It is used in Northern Assembly and Scottish Council election.
Voters rank their preferences.
The results are calculated using a complex formula.(SEE ELECTORAL SYSTEMS MIN AMP)
Advantages of STV
STV is a very proportional system, that closely matches the correlation between votes and seats. This leads to close to 0 being wasted. This helps smaller parties or individual members to be elected. For example If STV was used in 2015 the Liberal Democrats would’ve received 26 seats but under first past the post they only got 8, which did not reflect the amount of votes that they had won across the country
Voters choice us very high. They can chose between candidates standing for the same party, as well as between candidates from a different party, or so called have a split ticket.
Greater representation. In multi-member constituencies a voter is likely to have someone elected that shares the same ideologies or beliefs as them.
Disadvantages of STV
In large multi large multi member constituencies, the member constituency link can be seen as weaker. Under STV, each area elects several representatives instead of just one. This means voters don’t have a single, clearly responsible MP. Instead, many politicians share responsibility for the same area. Because of this, it’s harder for voters to know who to contact and easier for politicians to avoid accountability by shifting blame. This makes the constituency link weaker than in systems like FPTP, where each area has one clear representative.
STV is a very complex electoral system, especially when counting the votes and the establishment of the overall outcome. Its difficulty may discourage individuals from casting a vote. People may vote for their preferred candidate and simply randomly rank the others or just write numbers down as they appear on the ballot (donkey voting)
Supplementary Vote SV
Used in elections London Mayor elections. Previously it was used for Police and crime commissioners in England and Wales.
Candidates are given a ballot paper with all the candidates listed and two columns-one for the voters first preference and one for their second preference.
The candidate was an absolute majority (more than 50%) of the first preference votes gets elected as MP automatically
If this does not occur because no candidate has an absolute majority then all candidates, except for the top two, are eliminated.
The second preference votes are then added to produce one overall winner
Advantages of SV
Very easy to understand and use
Voters simply have a first preference and a second one.
Usually results in an absolute majority which ensures broader support for the winner and is therefore more representative than FPTP because the winner needs at least 50% of votes
For example, Sadiq Khan, Mayer of London, has the largest personal mandate of any elected politician in British history
Disadvantages of SV
As with FPTP there are large number of wasted votes which have little or no impact on the outcomes of the election.
Referendum
A popular vote on a particular issue usually requiring a yes/no vote .Referendums were almost unknown in the UK before 1975
It may be that the issue causes so much conflict within the political system and among its elected representatives that the only way to resolve it is to let the people decide directly – both sides must then accept the outcome. This was the case with both referendums on UK membership of the EC in 1975and the EU in 2016.
What is the difference between an election and a referendum?
Elections are voting for a representative to make decisions on their behalf
whereas Referendums are people making a direct decision for themselves (E.g. Brexit — leave or remain in the EU)
Elections are officially held every five years (Bylaw the 2011 fixed term parliament act has set the date for general elections at five year intervals)
whereas referendums are whenever the party in power wants them to be held, they are at the discretion of the government
Referendums in the UK since 1997
2011 Alternative vote referendum
,,Should the alternative vote replace the FPTP for elections in the HOC ? ‘’
2016 Brexit Referendum
1997 Scottish Devolution Referendum
1997 Welsh Devolution Referendum
