elections parties and campaign
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109 Terms
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Political Parties
Organizations that compete in elections, try to gain power, and represent ideas/interests.
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Party Lines
Legislatures are divided along party lines, which structure competition during campaigns.
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Party System
The number and type of parties in a political system.
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Multi-party System
A political system with three to five parties, as seen in Canada.
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Two-party System
A political system dominated by two major parties, as seen in the United States.
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Electoral System
A set of rules that determine how votes are cast and converted into seats.
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Single-Member District Plurality (FPTP)
An electoral system where one district elects one winner; the candidate with the most votes wins.
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Majority
More than 50% of the votes.
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Proportional Representation (PR)
An electoral system where seats reflect the percentage of votes received.
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Strategic Voting
Voting for a less preferred but viable candidate due to the fear of wasting a vote.
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Electoral Systems Matter
They affect representation, party systems, voter behavior, and outcomes.
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Trade-offs in Electoral Systems
The balance between stability and fair representation in electoral systems.
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FPTP Problems
Issues with First-Past-The-Post include wrong winner, close race distortions, and lopsided majorities.
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Campaigns Influence on Voters
Campaigns aim to provide information and influence voters, but partisanship is the main driver.
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Big Theory of Electoral Systems
Electoral systems shape parties, votes, and outcomes.
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Political parties
Organizations that compete in elections and seek political power
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Political parties
Groups that structure political competition and organize candidates
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Political parties
Actors that link voters to government decisions
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Role of political parties
Structure competition during campaigns
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Role of political parties
Organize candidates and policy platforms
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Role of political parties
Divide legislatures along party lines
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Party system
Number and strength of political parties in a system
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Party system
Pattern of party competition in a country
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Canada party system
Multi-party system with around 3–5 major parties
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US party system
Two-party system dominated by Democrats and Republicans
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Key idea (party systems)
Electoral systems shape how many parties exist
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Key idea (party systems)
Rules of elections determine party survival
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Electoral system
Set of rules that determine how votes are cast and converted into seats
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Electoral system
Laws regulating competition between candidates and parties
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Electoral system
Mechanism that translates votes into political representation
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Importance of electoral systems
They shape election outcomes
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Importance of electoral systems
They influence party systems and voter behavior
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Importance of electoral systems
They determine fairness and representation
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Core idea (electoral systems)
Electoral systems are the rules of the game
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Single-member district plurality (SMDP)
One representative per district, most votes wins
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SMDP
Candidate with plurality wins, not necessarily majority
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SMDP
Also known as first-past-the-post (FPTP)
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FPTP
Voters select one candidate
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FPTP
Winner only needs most votes, not over 50%
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Countries using FPTP
Canada, United States, United Kingdom, India
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Strength of FPTP
Simple voting system
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Strength of FPTP
Produces clear winners and stable governments
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Weakness of FPTP
Winner may not have majority support
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Weakness of FPTP
Wasted votes for losing candidates
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Weakness of FPTP
Distorts representation
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Core idea (FPTP)
Winning does not equal majority support
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Alternative vote
System where voters rank candidates
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Alternative vote
Requires majority support to win
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Alternative vote
Also called instant run-off voting
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How alternative vote works
Lowest candidate eliminated and votes redistributed
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How alternative vote works
Process repeats until majority is reached
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Countries using alternative vote
Australia, Alaska, Fiji, Ireland
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Strength of alternative vote
Produces majority-supported winner
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Strength of alternative vote
Reduces vote splitting
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Core idea (alternative vote)
Ensures broader support than FPTP
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Proportional representation (PR)
Seats distributed based on vote share
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PR
Party vote share determines seat share
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List PR
Voters vote for parties instead of individuals
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Closed list PR
Party decides candidate ranking
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Closed list PR
Seats allocated based on party vote percentage
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Countries using PR
Argentina, Costa Rica, South Africa
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Strength of PR
More accurate representation of voters
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Strength of PR
Reflects popular vote in legislature
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Effect of PR
More political parties
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Effect of PR
Coalition governments more common
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Core idea (PR)
Vote share equals seat share
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Majoritarian system
One winner per district
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Majoritarian system
Focus on district-level competition
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Proportional system
Seats reflect total vote share
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Proportional system
Focus on overall support
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Difference (majoritarian vs proportional)
Stability vs representation
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Difference (majoritarian vs proportional)
Simplicity vs fairness
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Strategic voting
Voting for a less preferred but more viable candidate
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Strategic voting
Avoiding wasting your vote
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Example (strategic voting)
Supporting second-choice candidate to block disliked candidate
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Why strategic voting occurs
Electoral system incentives
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Why strategic voting occurs
Fear of wasted votes in FPTP
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Core idea (strategic voting)
Electoral systems shape voter behavior
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Why electoral systems matter
They affect representation outcomes
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Why electoral systems matter
They influence party systems
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Why electoral systems matter
They shape how people vote
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Core idea (importance)
Electoral systems shape everything in politics
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Electoral system trade-off
Representation vs stability
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Electoral system trade-off
Fairness vs governability
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Majoritarian trade-off
Stable government but less representation
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Proportional trade-off
Better representation but less stability
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Wrong winner problem
Party wins most seats without most votes
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Wrong winner problem
Common in FPTP systems
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Close race distortion
Small vote differences create large seat differences
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Lopsided majority
Party wins large majority with limited vote share
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Lopsided majority
Example: 2001 BC election
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Core idea (FPTP problems)
Electoral outcomes can be distorted
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Electoral reform
Attempts to change electoral systems
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Electoral reform
Rare process in democracies
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Examples of reform
BC referendums since 2005
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Examples of reform
Trudeau 2015 reform promise
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Examples of reform
Yukon plebiscite
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Why reform is rare
Parties benefiting from system do not want change
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Why reform is rare
Winners keep the rules that help them win
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Core idea (reform)
Political incentives prevent change
