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ELECTORAL SYSTEMS
Different electoral systems
Referendums
DIFFERENT ELECTORAL SYSTEMS
FUNCTIONS OF ELECTIONS
REPRESENTATION
- MPs → ‘trustees’ not delegates→ who voters put their trust in
- Entitled to think independently in response to changing circumstances but should
vote based on the interests of their constituencies
- Promise of ministerial posts, whips → MPs who displease constituents can be
removed next election
CHOOSING THE GOVERNMENT
- Leader of the party that wins the most seats can form a govt
- This is usually straightforward with fptp- there is usually a majority
- 2010 Coalition, 2017 informal agreement with democratic unionist party because
cons were 8 seats short
HOLDING THE GOVT TO ACCOUNT
- Voters can reject an unpopular govt at general elections
- Individual MPs can also be held to account → revelations of abuse of
parliamentary expenses in 2009, many MPs stood down rather than face voters
at the next genelec
- 2015 Recall of MPs act- strengthened voters power to remove MPS if they are
sentenced to prison or are suspended from commons for over 21 days →
by-election if 10 percent of constituents sign a recall petition
PARTICIPATION
- Voting!!
- Manifestos provide info to make the decision → many don’t read them, mistrust
politician promises, misleading info
- 2001 Labour manifesto - ‘we will not introduce ‘top-up fees’ (uni tuition) and
have legislated to prevent them’ and then they did
INFLUENCE OVER POLICY
- Voters have limited influence over policies
- BUT election defeats send the message not to persist with unpopular policies
, - Labours catastrophic defeat in 1983 led to a less catastrophic performance in
1987 until they finally moved centre ground and dropped the unpopular
policies
- Allows small parties who cannot hope to form govt, to put their ideas forward and
draw attention to issues they stand for/ influence larger parties to adopt their policies
- Increased profile of the greens in the 90s → influenced other parties emphasis
on countering climate change
VOTING SYSTEMS
ELECTORAL WHERE? ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
SYSTEM
FPTP: UK general Speed and simplicity: Can be elected on less than 50%
elections Voters just have to make a MPs and govts do not need 50% of the vote to
Simple single cross and a government be elected and more than half of MPs do not
plurality, By-elections is rapidly formed → swift get majority support because they just need
person with transfer. May 2010 → one more vote than second place candidate to
the largest Local negotiations did not produce a win
votes in a council result for 5 days. Proportional
constituency is elections: systems → less decisive. Govts are often elected on a minority of the
elected, party England Choice for AV was proposed vote- lowest percentage was Blair in 2005,
with the most and Wales via referendum in 2011 but re-elected on 35.2% of the vote. Weakens
seats (not almost 68% chose to stay mandate of the winning party especially
votes) forms a with fptp because of low voter turnout and the
govt participation crisis, lacks legitimacy
Strong and stable government:
Promotes a two-party system Lack of proportionality
which gives voters a clear Does not translate votes to seats→ favours
choice and gives the parties a concentrated and not geographically spread
clear majority (usually) so that it votes. UKIP- 3.9 mil votes but one seat in
then has a mandate eg. 2015, SNP- 50% of the vote in Scotland
Thatcher privatisation 80s. (replacing labour) because it only
Some argue that prop rep gives campaigned in one part of the UK
minority parties undue
influence- Free Democrats in Winner’s bonus
Germany never got more Winning party enjoys a share of the seats in
than 10% of the votes yet excess of the share of the vote it gets. This
held the balance of power happens because of marginal seats→ although
between the two largest they only make up a minority of Westminster
parties. Less risk of coalition seats, they often determine the election
outcome eg. Thanet South, Kent seat has
Exclusion of Extremists always been won by the winning party
because she focused her resources onto
MP x constituency bond marginal seats
Constituencies are relatively
small so MPs handle feedback Limited voter choice:
from their constituency and No choice between individuals within a party,
hold surgeries to make safe seats mean that a lot of voters have little
themselves available to those hope of seeing their favourite candidate win
seeking help and service (can depress turnout)- it was estimated in 2015
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