ELECTORAL SYSTEMS

ELECTORAL SYSTEMS

1. PURPOSE OF ELECTIONS

   • DIRECT DEMOCRACY
     • public vote on decisions that impact government directly
     • used in eu referendum
     • encourages participation
     • can cause apathy
     • public aren't qualified to make decisions
   • REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
     • vote on a representative to make decisions in parliament on behalf of the public
     • public only vote on the decisions that matter

2. TYPES OF ELECTIONS

   • GENERAL
     • vote for an mp to represent them
     • has the highest turnout
   • REGIONAL
     • vote for representative as an assembly
     • some parties control certain regions
   • LOCAL
     • vote for a city, county or parish councils
     • doesn't really impact us
   • EUROPEAN
     • mep's in european parliament
     • tent not to get involved
   • BY ELECTION
     • when a sitting representative dies or resigns

3. PLURALITY VOTING SYSTEMS

   • first past the post (FPTP)
   • country broken up into constituencies and candidates with a plurality of votes win it
   • ADVANTAGES
     • simple and straightforward
     • good constituency link
     • party gains winners bonus
     • accurate representation
   • DISADVANTAGES
     • doesn't represent smaller parties
     • only 18% of votes count
     • rewards a plurality with a majority

4. MAJORITARIAN VOTING SYSTEMS

   • AV
     • candidate must achieve 50% of the vote
     • ranked in order of preference
     • if no one gets majority, lowest one is eliminated and votes redistributed