Voting Systems

Nationwide Referendums

1975: Remaining the E.E.C - 63.2%

2011: Replacing FPTP with AV - 42%

2016: BREXIT - 72.2%

Regional Referendums

1998: Good Friday Agreement - 81%

2014: Scottish Independence - 84.6%

The Burkean Principle

The ‘trustee’ model of representation

The Function of Elections

Political Representation & Area Representation

Referendum V Election

Direct Democracy and not legally binding VS Representative Democracy and legally binding

FPTP Advantages

Simplicity

• 117k/47.5million spoiled 2019

Strong Government

• 2019 80 seat majority

• 2024 174 seat majority

MP Constituency link

• Amber Rudd 2018

Centrist Policies

• 2019 LabCons took 567/650 seats

FPTP Disadvantages

Lack of voter choice

• 2024 - 59.7% turnout

Unequal Vote value

• Dan Carden 85% vote share in Liverpool Walton 2019

• No Gerrymandering Independent Boundaries Commission

False Majority

• Labour 63% of seats with 33.7% of vote

STV - Droop Formula

Advantages:

Proportional System

• increased system

Voter Choice

• multi-member constituencies

Disadvantages:

Low Turnout

• May 2022 Scotland - 44.8%

Unlikely single party Government

• Jan 2025 - Fianna Fael & Fine Gael

AMS - Advantages

Proportional Result

• Corrects some FPTP flaws - reduces wasted votes

Gov. broad popularity

Greater Representation

MP-Constituency link

AMS - Disadvantages (d’Hondt formula)

Complicated

• 2021 - 63.5%

• 2003 - 49.4%

Single Party Gov. hard

• 1999-2003 first devolved Gov - LabLib

• 2007 SNP Minority 49

FPTP

Two tiers of representatives

• Constituency and regional

• 73 constitutions and 8 regions

• 129 total MSPs

SV - Advantages - Mayoral

Majority

• 2021 Sadiq Khan 40% 69.5%

Voter Choice

• more choice of candidates

Two Party

• Livingstone/BJ/Sadiq

SV - Disadvantages

Adversarial Politics

• Goldsmith islamaphobia

False Majority

• BoJo 44% - 52%

Duverger’s Law

Democratic Deficit

• In 2024, 85% elected on less than 50% of the vote

• 2024 parties only recieved 57.4% of vote

• Labour 23,000, Reform 823,000