Elections and Political Parties

Flashcards covering key concepts related to elections and political parties.

Universal suffrage

The right of all adult citizens to vote in elections.

Constituency

A geographic area or district represented by an elected official.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party.

Majoritarian systems

Electoral systems in which the candidate with the most votes wins; often results in two dominant parties.

Proportional representation

An electoral system where parties gain seats in the legislature in proportion to the number of votes they receive.

Coalition

An alliance of multiple political parties to form a majority in a legislative body.

Electoral systems

The rules that govern how elections are conducted and how votes are translated into results.

Single-member plurality

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes in a single-member district wins.

Ranked choice voting

An electoral system where voters rank candidates in order of preference, used in some elections in Australia.

Redistricting

The process of redrawing district boundaries, often contentious and can influence voting outcomes.