AP Cogo Unit 4

Electoral District

An area that an elected official represents

Direct Election

People directly elect a candidate or party that they want to represent them

Indirect Election

People do not directly elect candidates. They elect candidates who choose members for that representative position

Electoral System

Rules and methods that determine how voting is conducted, how votes are counted, and how those votes translate into representation

Single Member District Plurality (SMDP)

One representative per district who receives the most votes in a area

Proportional Representation (PR)

Multiple members per district, vote for the party. If 20% of the vote goes to party then they get 20% of the seats.

Nigeria Electoral Legislature System

Each sate has 3 districts and senators are elected via SMDP. There are 36 states with 3 senators from each. The have SMDP for both legislative sections.

Mexico Electoral Legislature System

Senators run as a party ticket, each district gets 3 senators and there are 32 districts. They also have a gender quota law that requires a certain percent of women to get into office. They have multi member districts and PR for Chamber of Senate and SMDP and for Chamber of Deputies.

Russia Electoral Legislature System

Every party in the Duma needs a 5% threshold because of one party dominating only 4 parties can really get in. The Duma has SMDP and PR. The Federation Council is appointed.

Iran Electoral Legislature System

5 of the 290 seats are reserved for non-Muslims. Most members are single districts with some SMDP.

China Electoral Legislature System

Indirectly elected so citizens are removed from this process.

UK Electoral Legislature System

Has 650 electoral districts with less population so regional parties can benefit from this. It does have 2 major parties that makes the little parties fight over the rest of the seats. The Commons is SMDP, the Lords are appointed

Multi-member Districts

Electoral districts that have more than one seat. Voters will vote for as many candidates as seats available.

Second round voting

If a certain percent of voting threshold for candidates aren’t met a runoff election is held

Candidate vetting

Checking into the background and resume of a candidate before deciding if they can run for office

Proportional Representation Threshold

The minimum percent a party must earn to get seats in PR

Advantages and Disadvantages of SMDP

Each constitution gets one representative, candidate with most votes gets the seat, people are unwilling to vote for smaller parties which causes 2 parties to dominate, can affect power within the parties themselves

Advantages and Disadvantages of PR

Increases the number of parties in legislature, multi member districts that vote for party rather than candidate, party discipline and ideology is more pronounced and known, wastes fewer votes

Runoff Election

If no candidate gets a majority there is a runoff between the top two finishers in the first election

Mandate to Rule

Authority given from the people to a leader to act as their representative

Majoritarian System

Candidate must get more than 50% or more to win

Plurality System

Candidates in an electoral district who poll more than any other are elected, no majority needed

Iran Electoral Presidential System

Majoritarian (Double Ballot) where the president is the head of government. The election is rigged by the government which creates a weak president (little power) makes the Supreme Leader have a massive advantage

Mexico Electoral Presidential System

A plurality system where the president is the head of government and state. Since 2000 only 1 president has received 50% of the vote.

Nigeria Electoral Presidential System

A majoritarian (double ballot) where they must receive 25% of the vote in 24 states and 50% of national vote of the state the president is the head of government and state. Very hard to win with all the social cleavages in the country.

Russia Electoral Presidential System

A majoritarian (double ballot) system where the president is the head of state. There are major barriers set up for independent candidates also Putin dominates

Political Party System

The number of political parties operating in a country

One Party System

Only one party is allowed to fully operate in a country and government

Two Party System

Two parties dominate the system, others exist but only 2 have realistic chances of winning

Multiparty System

At least 3 parties can compete for government power and control

Dominate Party System

Many parties exist but one dominates and has a monopoly of power

Russia Party System

Dominant Party—United Russia, dominate party controls all levels of government and influences government

China Party System

One Party—Communist, government does not allow rival parties to form

Iran Party System

N/A—has factions instead

Mexico Party System

Multiparty—with parties like PRI, PAN, Morena, once was dominated by PRI for 70 years

Nigeria Party System

Multiparty—APC, PDP, had a dominate party from 1999-2016 of PDP

UK Party System

Two party—Conservative and Labor, 2 main parties alternate control and party loyalty is extremely important

China’s Role of Party System

The one party leads to a undemocratic state

Russia’s Role of Party System

United Russia has such a large total that opposing parties are looking in at policy making

Iran’s Role of Party System

They have interest groups not parties and they can only support the theocracy

UK’s Role of Party System

Two party system with minor parties often having a higher vote percent than seat percent but it encourages support in minor parties

Nigeria’s Role of Party System

Societal diversity reflected in the large variety of parties that exist

Mexico’s Role in Party System

Competition of 3 big parties leads to strong voter turnout, minor parties tend to collaborate with bigger parties

Interest Groups

Organizations created to represent and articulate a specific interest or policy

Social Movements

Large groups working together to effect political or social change (bigger and incorporate many groups also less formal)

Social Movements Address

Civil rights, redistribution of wealth, free and fair elections, equal treatment of citizens, environment, corruption

Nigeria Groups

Take it Back & Nigeria Union of Journalists (interest group), MEND & MOSOP (social movements)

Russia Groups

ChEEER (interest group)

Iran Groups

Green Movement (social movement), Iran National Council (interest group)

UK Groups

Environmental Activism (social movement), Christian Aid (interest group)

China Groups

White Paper Movement (social movement), China Cultural Industry Association (interest group)

Pluralist Groups

Many groups compete to represent their interest, separate from state, associated with democracies, provides a sense of efficacy, bottom up

Corporalist

One group, state sanctioned or controlled, associated with authoritarian regimes, illusion of influence, top down