different electoral systems 3.1

What do democratic and fair elections consist of?

- Universal suffrage for all adults
- One vote per person
- Secret ballot
- Competition between candidates
- Electorate committee cannot relate to any political party

What are the purposes of elections?

• Transfers power from one gov to the next peacefully + in a stable way

  • 2020, US had uproar with people storming in on Congress as election did not seem fair

• Representation

  • Electorate votes for candidate that best represents their views and addresses their concerns

• Accountability - representatives voted out if don't represent constituents properly

• Enables participation - therefore, people are consenting to being governed

What does holding elections mean for the winner?

• They have a political mandate to act on behalf of those who voted

  • Upholds legitimacy

What does a manifesto do and example of when it was edited?

• Educates the electorate on policy proposals and current issues

• Public can influence policy development

  • e.g., 2017 'Dementia Tax' was in May's manifesto (meant those with assets which exceeded £23,000 had to pay for care themselves) enraged public so was removed

Different types of elections:

• General elections

• Local elections

• Devolved assembly elections

What are general elections, when are they held and what electoral system do they use?

• Seats for House of Commons come up for re-election

• Usually takes place every 5 years

• FPTP system

What are local elections, when are they held and what electoral system do they use?

• Elections to district, borough and county councils (e.g., London Mayor, Greater London Assembly etc.)

• Held every 4/5 years

• Variety of electoral systems

What are devolved assembly elections, when are they held and what electoral system do they use?

• Elections to Scottish or Welsh Parliament, or Northern Irish assembly

• Held every 4 years

• Variety of electoral systems

What is an electoral system?

process by which the votes cast can be translated into elected officials or seats

What are the three different types of electoral systems?

• Proportional

• Plurality

• Majoritarian

What type of electoral system is FPTP and what does it mean?

• Plurality system

• Winner needs simple majority, at least one more vote than their nearest rival, not an overall majority (>50%)

• Not proportional, meaning percentage of votes cast for a particular party does not usually match the percentage of seats gained

  • e.g., in 2019 election, 229 of 650 MPs won their constituency with less than 50% of their vote

Parliamentary constituencies under FPTP:

- 650 single-member Parliamentary constituencies in UK
- Of roughly equal population size although - 110 - 21 thousand diff sometimes
- Each constituency returns just 1 MP to Parliament

What is the key to winning an election under FPTP?

• Have enough of a high vote concentration in an area to gain a simple majority, but not so high that there is a large amount of unnecessary votes

• Want their electorate to be distributed across many constituencies

What is a "safe seat"?

• Seen as a secure seat where there is very little chance of the seat changing hands

• Due to strong political leanings of the electoral of a constituency or popularity of incumbent MP

• Top 10 safest seats in UK in 2019 all had a winning margin between 40,000-30,000

• e.g.,2024 Bootle. - 56% Labour

What is a "marginal seat"?

• A seat that is close between two or more parties, it is uncertain which will win the next election

• These constituencies are the main focus of most election campaigns as are easiest to sway

• Top 10 smallest margins of 2019 were between 380-50 votes

• e.g., Hendon - 15 majority votes difference (Labour) - 0.04% - 2024 GE

What are the advantages of FPTP?

• LUCEM

• Provides a good link between the MP and their constituency - constituency sizes small , enabling constituencies - clear access to their representation - as UK - representative democracy, good access to your representatives - crucial factor in a rep dem

• Encourages higher turnout - easy to understand e.g., 3.5% votes for MSPs lost 2007 - ‘hybrid’ AMS

• Generally prevents coalition governments, so leg can be passed a lot easier (more effective and efficient government)

• Less representation of smaller, more radical parties - less extrmemism

• working maj 18/20 elections since 1945 - currently 166 seat working maj - but still AMS - Scot Parl working maj - 63 out of 129 SNP

• little demand for change - 67.9% rejected AV - 2011 ref

Disadvantages of FPTP

• WTVCD

• Votes wasted if exceed the simple majority required - Turnout low in 'safe' constituencies - encourages tactical voting

• Campaigning varies based on what constituency you are in (marginal or safe) so not a completely fair vote

• Tyranny of Maj- suppression of ideas - should be represented in Parl

• Coalitions can be really good in terms of representation (no worry of elective dictatorship) - e.g., 2010-2015 - QUAD

• Constituents may not want to be represented by their MP if did not vote for him

• Disproportionate results (e.g., 2015 - UKIP - 12.6%but only 1 seat; SNP gained 1.5 million votes but 56 seats - but Cons - 36.9% - 330 seats- - 2024 GE - Labour 411 seats - 33.7%

• benefits Labour and Conservative - 84.3% seats

• make loser, winner Oct 1951 - Churchill made PM - but 43.4% but Attlee 46.1%

Case study to argue that FPTP does not fulfil UK democracy:

• 2022 - Lib-Lab Plan

• Starmer agreed to only fight minimal electoral campaign in Lib Dems' top 30 target seats in next election

• Aiming to create a Labour-Lib Dem coalition

• This electoral pact is taking advantage of tactical voting and unfair electoral campaigns, undermining the legitimacy of UK democracy

What kind of electoral system is AMS?

- Multi-Member Proportional System
- Hybrid system of FPTP and the Party List

Where is AMS used?

- Welsh Assembly
- Scottish Parliament
- Greater London

How does AMS work?

- Voters get 2 votes
- First vote is for the constituency MP (candidate with most votes in constituency wins)
- 2nd vote is for a political party and 7 are elected as Regional MSPs as 'additional members' from a list drawn up by each party

Advantages of AMS:

• Fairer to parties, proportional (close correlation between votes + seats)

• 2016 Scottish Parliament election - max difference of 5% between votes received and MSPs returned - Tories won 22% of votes + 24% of seats

• Coalitions and 2 separate votes mean more parties are represented

  • e.g., 2016 - SNP won majority of seats for constituency vote, but Tories won majority of seats for regional vote

• Political diversity - parties that are supported but - little representation under FPTP - can win a fair number of seats

• Less wasted votes, voters have more choice - support to more than one party, encourages voter turnout

• split-ticket voting

• AMS - working majority - 63/129 SNP

Disadvantages of AMS:

• very complex and the two votes can confuse or lower voter turnout

  • 3.5% votes for MSPs lost 2007 - ‘hybrid’ AMS

• likely to result in minority government or coalition government

  • Minority SNP government in 2016 found it v difficult to get its 2017/18 budget approved

• Parties decide the order of candidates on the list for 2nd vote - can cause conflict between MPs

What electoral system is STV?

- Multi-winner electoral system
- Means constituencies are multi-member
- Need overall majority (50% + 1) to win

Where is STV used?

- Northern Irish Assembly
- Scottish local governments
- Northern Irish local governments

How does STV work?

- Voters list the candidates in the order of who they like most to least.
- Candidates need to reach a quota in order to be elected
- If a voter's n1 candidate has already reached required quota, their next choice becomes their vote
- If no candidate reaches quota, least popular candidate is removed and peoples' votes moved to 2nd favourite (process continued until all vacancies filled)

What is the quota for STV?

(number of votes/number of seats in constituency) + 1

Advantages of the STV system:

• per

• Most proportionate voting system - Vote - very close correlation between % vote cast and % of seats gained

• Result is more legitimate

  • e.g., 2017 NI Assembly - all parties - strong correlation (SDLP 12% of vote and 13% of seats)

• Every vote counts (so higher turnout) May 2022 - 63.6% - (7% holiday)

  • If first choice has reached quota, vote is moved to second favourite and so on

• Voters have greater choice via ranking

  • Choice within parties, as well as parties (sometimes multiple candidates from same party)

• representation - 17/90 seats (18.9% of the seats) - Alliance party 2023 - not just DUP and Sinn Fein (biggest)

Disadvantages of STV:

• CoCoL

• Leads to many coalitions

  • Arguably weaker than if single-party gov was in place
    - HOWEVER, Good Friday agreement means this must take place in Northern Ireland

• Complex so difficult for everyone to understand

  • Could cause a reduction in already low voter turnouts

• Weaker link between elected representatives and local area as no constituencies

What electoral system is SV?

- Majoritarian system
- Means that office holder must have majority of the vote

Where is SV used and why?

London mayoral elections (means they can claim a strong personal mandate)

How does SV work?

• Each voter - allowed first and second preference vote

• Any candidate who gains more than 50% of the first preference vote - automatically elected

• If does not occur, all candidates except the top two are eliminated

• Second preference votes for these two candidates are then added to produce an overall winner.

2016 London Mayor result:

- Turnout of 45%
- Nearly 400,000 voters expressed no second preference
- Sadiq Khan won an overall 57% of the vote

Advantages of SV:

• MCU

• Majority result

  • Winner has a clear majority of the vote, so their mandate is legitimate

  • Should lead to a strong-stable government

• Voter choice

  • More choice than in FPTP as have 2 votes

  • Can vote for a larger and smaller party

• Simple

  • Easy to understand which should increase voter turnout (however, doesn't)

Disadvantages of SV:

• 2FW

• Two-party dominance

  • Eliminates all but 2 candidates

  • May encourage tactical voting

• False majority

  • The vote of anyone with no second preference or one eliminated is not counted, even if this may have brought them to a majority

• Wasted votes

  • Similar to FPTP

How many votes were wasted in 2019? (under FPTP)

71%

What can FPTP lead to?

- Elected dictatorship
- e.g., Blair with a majority of 179 could push through very unpopular legislation (e.g., Iraq war 2003) and didn't face a defeat until 2005

Benefit of SV over FPTP:

- less of a winner-takes-all approach
- majoritarian system, with a 2nd candidate preference to ensure people are choosing their representatives