January 2013: Elections and Voting

January 2013: Elections and Voting

1. What is meant by the term ‘party system’?

   • A party system examines political parties in the political structure and attempts to place them in to various categories or types
   • The party system attempts to define the relationships within the political structure as to how parties function and operate and importantly how close they are to achieving governing status/power
   • A two party system is where only two of the parties (out of many) who contest the election have any chance of achieving governmental power
   • A two and a half party system is where there are two major parties who can have a significant take in government plus a minor or ‘third party’ this is similar to the current situation in the UK

2. Explain how and why party representation may be affected by any three different electoral systems.

   • FPTP ensures a winners bonus whereby the governing party enjoys a higher % of seats that their vote collected, it also can discriminate against parties who have a geographical spread of votes as opposed to a concentration of votes
   • The Closed Party list ensures a more accurate % of vote to % of seats than other systems and is very proportional. It benefits smaller parties. The Closed List serves to reduce the bias to the large parties enjoyed under FPTP. Smaller parties who fair badly under FPTP may have an improved representation under the Closed List system e.g. UKIP
   • The list component of AMS compensates parties who have not been successful under the constituency element of the system. The Conservative Party has benefited from this in the Scottish Devolved elections

3. Assess the advantages of using proportional representation electoral systems.

   • It is claimed that proportional systems increase turnout as voters feel that their vote will count and be effective, it will not be wasted and used to make a difference. However evidence is not conclusive as to this claim, for example turnout for devolved elections is not higher than those for Westminster elections.
   • It is claimed that proportional systems increase legitimacy as the outcome is more accurate it means that both Governments and individual representatives can rightly claim victory with a ‘fair’ system of turning votes in to seats.
   • However following elections in the UK under non-proportional systems such as FPTP there is no heavily contested argument over the victor, for even following the outcome of the May 2010 General Election the formation of the coalition was seen as legitimate and just
   • Proportional electoral systems will produce a more reflective and accurate outcome for small parties who under simple plurality systems will suffer, in reality this may mean growth and fair representation for the Green Party for example.
     • However it may mean that some extreme parties gain a foothold in Parliamentary politics which have racist and un-democratic views and this could de-stabilise society.
   • Proportional electoral systems are more likely to produce a coalition government which has at its core compromise and conciliation between different views in society.
     • However, coalitions can also be unstable and may fragment society as such proportional systems may harm democratic government.