Election Notes Essay

Submitted By EliBaruch1
Words: 2860
Pages: 12
Open Document
What is an election? * A method of filling in office or a post through choice made by a designated body of people; the electorate. * A popular vote in which citizens get a chance to choose their representatives. * Elections should be free, fair and regular (therefore, democratic). e.g. in Britain we hold elections every 4-5 years. * A mandate is given to the winning party at elections. * Universal Suffrage
What are the key functions of elections? * Uphold legitimacy * To choose representatives – b/c country divided into constituencies and representatives chosen by citizens in each. Ensuring representation. * To choose govt & PM – party with maj. of seats e.g. Labour 60% * The electorate gives permission to the governing party to carry out the policies in their manifesto i.e. their mandate. * An example of political participation. By exercising a choice between different political parties it gives us the power to decide in which direction the country will go.
What are the four types of different systems? * Simple majority system – it is not necessary to get over 50% of the vote to win a seat e.g. FPTP. * Majoritarian system – the winning candidate needs to get over 50% of the vote e.g. AV, SV * Proportional system – votes equate to seats e.g. List system, STV * Hybrid system – combines aspects of both Majoritarian and proportional e.g. Additional member system, AV

Where is each system used in the UK? * FPTP – in general elections. * SV – for elected mayor of London. * Additional member system – for electing Scottish Parliament, Irish, Welsh and London Assembly. * List system – for European elections. * STV – in N. Ireland.

How does the FPTP system work? * Voters select a single candidate and do so by marking his or her name with an 'x' on the ballot paper. * The country is divided into 600 single-member constituencies. * Within each constituency each person eligible to vote will have ONE vote. * The winning candidate must get more votes than each of the other candidates, but need not achieve 50% of votes. * The political party with the most winning candidates, and therefore seats, goes on to form the government.
What are the arguments in favour of FPTP? * Clear electoral choice. * It is simple to understand in relation to other systems i.e. voters have one choice only. * The voter can express a view on which party should form the next govt. * Creates strong and decisive govt and no need for coalitions which can be problematic. Helps to ensure that governments can govern. * Stable government. * It provides a strong link between the MP and their constituency in relation to multi-member systems. Constituency representation> * The winning party can claim a mandate in terms of seats. Mandate democracy. * Can contain extremist parties, stopping parties like the BNP from holding any power.
What are the weaknesses of FPTP? * Over-representation of the winning party e.g. in 2005 election Labour won 55% of the seats with just 35% of the votes. Whereas the Lib dems won 9.6 of the votes of the basis of 22% of the vote. * Under-representation of other parties e.g. Lib Dems b/c of regional bias. (Regionalism) * Not completely fool-proof of coalitions. It caused the coalition of 2010 between the Conservatives and the Lib dems. * Wasted votes are an issue because if you do not vote for the winning candidate your vote does not count for anything e.g. 1997, 48.2% of those who voted cast ineffective votes. * Lack of voter choice – party picks candidates and you can only vote for one. If the candidate selected for the party you wish to vote for holds views you strongly oppose it is difficult to choose. * Tactical voting – voting for the least objectionable candidate, or intentionally voting against a particular candidate.
How does the AV
Show More

Related Documents: Election Notes Essay

Civil War Dbq Essay

the major causes was Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860 and the South’s secession. The very first major cause of the American Civil War was the Missouri Compromise infuriated the Southerners. First, the Missouri Compromise was an agreement that Missouri would join the US as a slave state and Maine would join as a free state (notes). This angered the South because…

Words 603 - Pages 3

Evaluate the Factors That Influenced the Result of the 2010 Uk General Election. Essays

Evaluate the factors that influenced the result of the 2010 UK general Election. For the purpose of this essay, I will be evaluating the factors that influenced the result of the 2010 UK general election. The general election was held on Thursday 6th May 2010 and was the first election since 1974 to result in a hung parliament, as no party achieved the 326 seats needed to for an overall majority. The three main parties were the Conservatives, whose party leader was and still is David Cameron…

Words 3719 - Pages 15

Magnificent Catastrophe Essay

the election of the 1800s was so important and how it shows that today’s elections are very similar to the election of the 1800s. For example, how the president believed in one thing the vice president believed in something completely different. That is similar to today because the president and vice president are sometimes in different parties. Larson covers the election of the 1800s in a historical view as he only inputs the facts and the background details that contributed to the election of the…

Words 1068 - Pages 5

Events For 1301 Historical History

NOTES AND TOPICS FOR 1301 FINAL 1. Know the presidents and their opponents from 1844 till 1876. 2. Know the development of political parties from 1844 till 1876. 3. Know the reasons for the Mexican War, its outcome and the final results. 4. Know the events that propelled the North and South toward Civil War. 5. Know the advantages of the Union and the Confederates in the Civil War. 6. Know the military campaigns of the Civil War. 7. Know the stages in the liberation of the slaves. 8. Know…

Words 349 - Pages 2

Polarization in Us Politics Essay

Analyze the evidence that American politics is becoming more polarized. If so, is this a reaction to the polarization of political elites? Approx 1500 words 13/12/10 "The election of 2008... marked the end of an epoch. No longer could Republicans count on the basic conservatism of the American people, the reflexive hostility to candidates who favour big government" (Darman, 2010, 34) In the 1970s and 1980s there was a consensus that the importance of political parties was in decline…

Words 1683 - Pages 7

Ronald Reagan's 1966 Congressional Campaign

his fight against Democratic incumbent Pat Brown. Reagan won in a landslide where 57% of the electorate voted. (PAT BROWN LOSES VIDEO) The campaigning and subsequent election have been noted as one of the most bitter ever fought.(BECKER 645) Prior to becoming governor, Reagan acted and served in multiple acting unions. The 1966 election "broke the mould of California politics in a way which continues to have resonance for present-day America."(DE GROOT429) It also unified conservative elements of both…

Words 344 - Pages 2

Political Business Cycles

Political actors play a pivotal role in the fluctuations in economic activities in any nation. The term is used to illustrate the stimulation of the economy just close to an election with the intention of enhancing prospects of the necessary leadership getting a chance of retaining their position after the election. The empirical evidence of political business cycles is always equivocal despite all the efforts that are put in place to try and establish its very existence. The extensive monetary and…

Words 1896 - Pages 8

Congressional Ethics Violations

Identify one (1) member of Congress who has been charged with ethics violations. Briefly discuss the reason for the charges and provide two (2) reasons why you agree or disagree with the verdict and any penalties. Provide examples to support your answer. Note: Consider how the verdict and penalties impacts your trust of the members of Congress. In 2005 the FBI videotaped Congressman William Jefferson, a Democrat from Louisiana receiving cash bribes from an FBI informant. After that FBI waited the following…

Words 711 - Pages 3

Operation Condor Indigenismo

President Nixon claims that the U.S. should not intervene in Latin America, as it would violate the image that the U.S. had been projecting. In theory, the U.S. supported non-intervention in foreign countries out of a respect for free elections and self-determination. However, although officially this may have been the position of the U.S. government, unofficially the U.S. had an entirely different agenda. The U.S. frequently saw it fit to intervene in Latin American countries to protect…

Words 1272 - Pages 6

Rhetorical Analysis: He Kept Us Out Of War

Due to the popularity of the parties, and the incumbent being a Democrat, it’s easy to see that the two primary parties which ran against each other were the Democrats and Republicans. President Wilson breezed into the 1916 election with a good list of domestic accomplishments. However, the problem was that the race was dominated by foreign affairs and the current world war in Europe. The Democratic Party staked most of the campaign on the slogan "He Kept Us out of War." It is ironic when reading…

Words 510 - Pages 3