Types of electoral system

what are the main function of elections

used to choose a representative in a democracy legislators/ decision makers = elected

helps citizens get involved in politics - some only way of political participation

allows those elected to be held to account

gives people a choice - which democracy demands

elections provide an educative function

election provide a mandate

what are the positive aspects of uk election ?

virtually all adults are permitted to vote

freedom of info and of the media

secrecy in the ballot =key principle in uk elections although not guaranteed

little corruption and malpractice = punished by law

the conduct of elections=protected by electoral commission -independent from gov

constituency = clear representation of citizens

counting of votes is carefully and thoroughly regulated

any citizen can register to be an mp £500 deposit many can afford

what are the four main types of electoral systems ?

fptp - first past the post

ams - additional members system

stv - single transferable vote

sv- supplementary vote

what is pluarity

to win a seat requires only one or more vote than any other candidate meaning they do not need to secure an abolute majortiy

what is fptp and what type of system does it use

where the person with highest number of votes is elected.

victory is achieved by having more one more vote than any other contenders - plurality

where is fptp used in the UK

general elections

local council elections in england and wales

what is a majoritarian system ?

used to elect a single candidate theses systems are designed to attempt to secure an absolute majority for the winning candidate

what type of electoral system use majoritarian

sv

this is because voters can make two choices - supplementary vote

how does sv work

if one candidate obtain over 50 % on the first vote then the contest is complete

however if no candidate receives this level all but the top two candidate are removed

then the supplementary vote are distributed and whoever firm the remaining two gets the most votes win

where is the majoritarian system used

sv was used in