Electoral systems
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Transcript of Electoral systems
![Page 1: Electoral systems](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022020803/54772148b4af9fd52d8b475d/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Electoral Systems
And how they work
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Plurality Systems
First Past the Post• Used in UK general elections.• The country is divided into constituencies
with a single MP.• Each voter has one vote.• The candidate with the largest number of
votes wins the seat.• The party with the most seats forms the
government.
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Advantages
• Easy for the voter to understand, cheap and inexpensive.
• Links maintained with constituencies.
• One party usually wins outright and the government is therefore strong.
• Parties have a chance to carry out their manifesto promises.
• It has been proven to work effectively.
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Disadvantages
• Parties coming consistently second or third are underrepresented.
• Winning parties are overrepresented.• Winning governments usually only gain
40% of the total vote.• Voters in safe seats may not bother to
vote.• The govt. may have less votes than its
nearest rival.
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Majority Systems
(The winning candidate achieves more than 50% of the vote)
The Alternative Vote System (AV)
• Voters rank candidates in order of preference.
• Any candidate with 50%+ votes is elected.
• If no-one gets 50%, votes are redistributed
• This continues until someone wins.
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Majority Systems (cont.)
Supplementary Vote System (SVS)
• Voters have first and second choice.
• Candidates with 50%+ of votes are automatically elected.
• If no-one has 50%, all candidates are eliminated except for the top two.
• The votes of losing candidates are redistributed to second choices.
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Majority Systems (cont.)
The Second Ballot System• If the candidate does not win more than
50% of the vote, a second ballot takes place a week or two later.
• Sometimes the candidates with the least votes are eliminated.
• This is used in France where candidates must gain 12.5%+ of the vote to stand in the second ballot.
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Advantages
• Second or third parties are more fairly represented.
• If voters do not get their first choice, they are quite likely to get their second.
• MPs represent more members of their constituencies.
• Constituency links are maintained.• SVS was recommended by the PLANT
report as likely to produce strong govt.
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Disadvantages
• Second or third parties can be over represented.
• AV in particular is complicated for the voters.
• Very small parties are not represented.
• Second ballot system takes a long time to produce an outright result.
• It is more expensive and time consuming.
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Proportional Systems
List System (closed)
• Voters only vote for a party, not a person.
• The country is one large constituency.
• The parties draw up a list of candidates and puts them in order.
• Seats are allocated to parties according to the proportion of votes won.
• These seats are then filled from the lists.
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Proportional Systems (cont.)
The List system (open)• The country is divided into large regional
constituencies.• Parties can stand as many candidates as there
are seats.• Voters choose a number of candidates.• Seats are allocated according to the number of
votes.• The most popular candidates win the seats.
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Proportional Systems (cont.)
The Single transferable vote system
• The country is divided into large regional constituencies.
• The parties stand candidates for all the seats.
• Voters put candidates in preference order.
• Those who reach the quota are elected.
• Votes of lowest candidates are transferred
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Advantages
• These systems are much fairer.
• Small parties are given representation.
• There are less wasted votes.
• The open list and STV do maintain links with constituencies.
• The closed list is the most directly proportional.
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Disadvantages
• In the closed list system, only the party chooses the candidates.
• STV and open list are very complicated.
• The constituencies are much bigger or non existent.
• There is a much greater chance of a coalitional government.
• Extremists may get a voice in Parliament.
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Hybrid Systems
Additional Member System (AMS)• This is used in Scotland and Wales.• Voters vote for a constituency MP using
First Past the Post.• They also vote for a party.• The Closed List System is used to allocate
some seats to parties.• Parties that do badly with FPTP are
compensated in through the PR seats.
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Hybrid Systems (cont.)
AV+
• This was drawn up by the Jenkins Committee and has never been used.
• The number of constituencies is reduced to 500.
• Voters use AV to elect a constituency MP.
• The also vote for regional MPs using the Open List System.
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Advantages
• In AMS, any unfairness of the FPTP election are compensated for with the PR seats.
• It is fairer but keeps out extremists.
• You have the advantages of two systems.
• Large scale coalition is less likely.
• People may be more likely to vote as this is a fairer system.
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Disadvantages
• The systems are more complicated for the voter, particularly AV+.
• Small parties are still not represented.
• There is a greater chance of coalition and therefore weaker government.
• There is no real promise that more people will vote because of this system.