Summer Exam: electoral Systems

Question 1

How many constituencies are there in the UK, and how many to form a govt

Answer 1

650 constituencies, needing 326 to form a govt

Question 2

Advantages of FPTP

Answer 2

Forms a strong government, simple and easy to understand, MPs hold surgeries to listen to matters of their constituents

Question 3

Disadvantages of FPTP

Answer 3

Not proportional representation, minority ignored, votes wasted

Question 4

How does AMS work

Answer 4

each voter gets two votes, one for their constituent and another for their region, the first vote is to decide who will represent your interests in parliament the second is to see which party you want winning in your region

Question 5

Advantages of AMS

Answer 5

more proportional, reduces dominance of larger parties

Question 6

Disadvantages of AMS

Answer 6

can be complex, parties still control whose on the list

Question 7

Give the Droop Formula

Answer 7

Quota = (Total valid votes/ number of seats) +1

Question 8

Advantages of STV

Answer 8

More proportional representation, reduced wasted votes, voters have more choice and influence

Question 9

Disadvantages of STV

Answer 9

more complex to understand and count votes, can be slower to determine winner

Question 10

Advantages of SV

Answer 10

reduces vote splitting, encourages broad appeal, simple to understand

Question 11

Disadvantages of SV

Answer 11

not fully proprtional, still possible for winner to not be popular and second prefernece does not always matter