5 Marker definitions

Used: scottish local by-elections, labour and liberal leadership elections, and by-elections for hereditary peers 

feactures: single memeber consituencies

electors vote preferrentially by ranking candidates in election must gain a mimimum of 50%, the bottom candidate drops out and his/her votes are redistributed according to second or subsequent perfences and so on until one candidate gains 50% 

Advantages: AV ensures that few votes are watsed unlike FPTP 

As since 50% must be achieved to be the winning candidate, a broader range of views and opinions help influence the outcome of the election, parties become drawn towards the centre ground 

Disadvantages: the outcome of the election maybe determined by those who support small, maybe even extremist parties

winning candidates enjoy little first perference support and only succeed with the help of redistributed supplementary votes, making them the only least unpopular cnadidate

Used: scottish parliament, welsh assembly, greater london assembly

features: mixed system, made up of constituency and party list elements, a proportion of seats are filled by FPTP, using single member constituencies, remaining seats filled with closed party list system, cast 2 votes; one for candidate, one for party list election, party list element used to top up constituency results, if done correctly using the dhondt method to achieve the most proportional overall outcome.

Advantages: mixed characteristics of the system balances the need for constituency representaion against the need for electoral fairnes, although boradly proportional it still keeps the possiblility for a single party goverenment, it allows voters to to make wider and more considered choices eg; can vote for different parties in the constituency and list elections 

Disadvantges: single-memeber constituency, reduces proportionality, confusion due to 2 classes of representative, constituency less effective than FPTP due to larger size and a proportion of the representatives have no constituency duties

used: European Parliament (except Northern Ireland) 

features: There are a number of large multimemeber constituencies. The UK is divided up in to 12 with 3-10 memebers, political parties compile a list of canadidates to run for electorate in decsending order of preference, people vote for a partnot the canadidate, we use a 'closed' list election, parties are alllocaated seats in direct proportion to the number of votes they gain, they fill these seats from their party list.

Advantages: the only protentially pure system of proportional representation, therefore fair to all parties, encourages unity as electorates are encouraged to identify with a region rather than a constituency, makes it easier for women and minority candidates to be elected, provided they feature on the party list

Disadvantages: the existsence of smaller parties can lead to a weak or unstabel government, the link between representative and constituency is weaken and may be broken altogether, parties become more powerful, they decided where to be placed on the list. 

used: northern ireland assembly, NI and S for local government

Feactures: multimember constituencies, parties can put up as many candidates as there are seats to fill in each constituency, parties are able to put up as many candidates as there are seats to fill each constituency, electorates vote preferentially, canadidates are elected if they reach the quoat, which is calaculated using the droop formula, votes are counted, first, according to first preference, if a candidate reachs their quota then additioanl votes for them are counted through second or subsequent pereference. 

Advantages: the system is able to achieve highly proportional outcomes. competition from within the parties means they can be judged on their personal strenght and weaknesses and individual recordes, multimemeber constituencies gives you the choice of who to take your problems to, 

Disadvantages: the degree of proportionality is basis to the party system, strong and stabel single-party government is unlikely under STV, multimemeber constituencies cause competition within parties.

Used: house of Commons, england and wales for local governement

Features: it is a consitituency system, voter selects a single canadiate by markign an X by their name, represents the 'one person one vote' principle, constituencies are roughly equal size, each constituency produces a single candidate, often seen as winner takes all, candidate needs to achieve plurality vote to win eg; 

candidate A = 30,000 votes

candidate B = 22,000 votes 

candidate C = 26,000 votes 

candidate A would win even though they only achieved 38% of the votes

reforming

for: Electoral fairness, all votes count, Majority government, Accountable governement

against: clear electoral choice, constituency representation, mandate demoncracy, strong democracy, strong government, stable government

pure: single transferable vote, party list

mixed: additonal memeber system, alternative vote plus

majoritarian: first past the post, alternative vote, supplementary vote