Elections and the Right to Know
Electoral systems in the UK
Majoritarian: First Past The Post (FPTP) Supplementary Vote (SV) Alternative Vote (AV)
Single member constituencies
FPTP – winning candidates need just one more vote than the next candidate. Voter gets one vote.
AV and SV – winning candidate needs over 50% of the total vote. 2 votes (1st and 2nd preference).
PR: Party List (open and closed) Single Transferrable Vote (STV) Multi-member constituencies based on quota system.
Hybrid: Additional Member System (AMS) AMS – voter has two votes, one for a candidate under FPTP, one for party under PR system.
FPTP
Candidate who wins the most votes takes the seat.
However, this does provide a disproportionate balance between votes and seats.
Proportional Representation
Calls have been made for electoral reform and proportional representation, this produces more balance between votes won and seats gained. * PR is the main rival to FPTP * Basic principle is simple: Representatives elected in a multi-member rather than single constituencies. The number of seats a party wins is proportional to its support among voters/numbers of votes. * If a Labour candidate wins 50% of the vote, they gain five out of 10 seats. If a Conservative wins 30%, three seats etc.
Party List system
This is the most common form of PR, used in UK for European Parliament since 1999, except Northern Ireland. * Representatives elected in larger, multi-member constituencies * Each party puts up a slate of candidates equal to the number of seats in the constituency * Voters indicate their preference for a particular party and the parties then receive seats in proportion to their share of the vote * In a five member constituency, if Labour won 40%, they’d receive 2 out of 5 seats * The two winning candidates would be chosen based on their in party ranking
Some argue that PR solves some of the problems caused by simple plurality-majority voting systems.
It provides a more accurate representation of parties, better representation for political/ethnic minorities, fewer wasted
Related Documents: Elections and the Right to Know Essay
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 the steps taken to…
Many Americans don't take part in the presidential elections for different types of reasons. I believe that many have some psychological reasoning; there is something that causes them to just give up . It seems as if the main cause is due to civic competence because many Americans feel as if no changes will be made and don't take part in any of it. America’s voter turnout is so low compared to other wealthy democracies for so many reasons; civic competence, laziness, age, lack of education and…
Constitutional Amendments and Voting Every educated American knows that the Constitution holds the fundamental principles our country is built on. Through much debate, argument, and agreement our founding fathers wrote the constitution so that all Americans and future citizens of the United States could have all the freedoms, liberties, and rights that the Constitution entails. It is in just the first three words that one may see what our country is all about, and that is “We The People.” It is…
that require full disclosure of funding sources for ad campaigns. Enacting such regulations will be necessary to keep the American elections in the hands of the American voters and not under the financial control of corporations. This recent ruling not only loosens restrictions on corporate funded political advertising but also threatens the integrity of the election process. An estimated $4.2 billion will be spent on political advertising in 2010 (Wheaton & Steinberg). The increased amount of money…
(everybody equal to vote) - About rights expansion - Contract: Limitations ---> by state → Example: Mississippi--Literature Test → They can control that whether people can vote or not 인종차별주의적: Jim crow law - 1965: Voting Rights Act → Dealing with voting rights National government expansion - 19th Amendment (1919): women got right to vote – everyone can vote - 26th Amendment (1917): 18 years old – right to vote Q. How to encourage…
later, we heard gunshots and people screaming. My mom knew that she had to choose a different path to go home. A block away from the riot, there was a shortcut that my mom knew, so we could be home fast. She turned the wheel to the right, the car slowly moved to the right, and it stopped. The engine wouldn’t start. Other drivers were honking at us angrily. We could see that the riot slowly came nearer. We could see clearly gravel and bottles were being thrown to our car. We could hear police yelling…
After realize the brief information about the variable culture and finance of the city of Melbourne, now let me introduce the council which responsible for those activities and service and also the conduct of Melbourne city’s council election. Firstly, I would like to introduce some of the current councilors for you. Robert Doyle who is the serving Lord Mayor of Melbourne was elected in 2008 and 2012. As a Member of Victoria’s Parliament for 14 years, Robert was Leader of the Opposition and Leader…
Running Head: The Importance of the Latino Vote in an Election The Importance of the Latino Vote in an Election La Familia The Importance of the Latino Vote in an Election This past election reached a turning point for Latinos when Barack Obama was reelected as president of the United States. If it were not for the increase percentage of Latinos voting, Obama would not have had a chance in taking victory in the election. On the other hand, Mitt Romney received one of the lowest percentages…
In an interview this past week, Hillary Clinton talked about women’s rights in the world, but more specifically in China. She talked about this for about ten minutes and when reporters asked about her possible running in 2016 she had a way to make it seem like she is not running in the upcoming election. But her husband and Hillary have been giving out subtle hints lately about her possible running in the 2016 election. One thing she said that could be interpreted as a way of saying that she…
a citizen of the United States of America? Yes 06w Date Received No Will you be at least 18 years of age on or before election day? IF YOU CHECKED "NO" IN RESPONSE TO THIS QUESTION, DO NOT SUBMIT THIS FORM. 2 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY No Are you at least 16 years of age and understand that you must Yes No be 18 years of age on or before election day to vote? IF YOU CHECKED "NO" IN RESPONSE TO BOTH OF THESE QUESTIONS ABOVE, DO NOT SUBMIT THIS FORM. Last Name (Required)…