Electoral Systems Overview

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  • Created by: Q_
  • Created on: 02-04-19 11:14
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  • ELECTORAL SYSTEMS OVERVIEW
    • Elections are central to politics in a liberal democracy. Their main functions include determining and legitimising government, holding politicians to account, and ensuring the democratic participation and representation of the people.
    • The FPTP electoral system is used for general elections in the UK. A candidate in a single-member constituency needs only a plurality to win (i.e. ONE MORE VOTE THAN THEIR NEAREST RIVAL).
      • Supporters of FPTP claim that it produces a strong, stable and responsible government. Critics argue that is is disproportional, resulted in wasted votes and denies voters real choice.
    • Four other electoral systems are used for elections beyond Westminster: the supplementary vote, the closed list system, the single transferable vote, and the additional member system.
    • A series of referendums have been held in the last 20 years. This raises questions about the relationship between parliamentary and popular sovereignty.

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