...Majoritarian systems First past the post A first-past-the-post, or winner-takes-all, election is one that is won by the candidate receiving more votes than any others. It is a common, but not universal, feature of electoral systems with single-member legislative districts, and generally results over time in a two-party competition. Large countries widely using FPTP include India, United States, United Kingdom and Canada. The first-past-the-post voting method is one of the several plurality voting systems. Confusion in terminology often exists between highest vote, majority vote and plurality voting systems. All three use a first-past-the-post voting method, but there are subtle differences in the method of execution.[1] First-past-the-post voting is also used in two-round systems and some exhaustive ballots. First-past-the-post voting methods can be used for single and multiple member elections. In a single member election the candidate with the highest number, not necessarily a majority, of votes is elected. The two-round voting system uses a first-past-the-post voting method in each of the two rounds. The first round determines which two candidates will progress to the second, final round ballot. In a multiple member first-past-the-post ballot, the first numbers of candidates, in order of highest vote, corresponding to the number of positions to be filled are elected. If there are six vacancies then the first six candidates with the highest vote are elected. A multiple selection...
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...Proportional representation is the concept that in a representative democracy, the percentage of people who vote for a certain party (or idea) should be closely represented in the government. Proportional representation can be achieved in multiple ways, during a UK General election the first past the post system has been used for centuries. The UK First Past the post system works by electing a representative for each district called a constituency that consists of about 60000 residents (the land mass may vary depending on population density) of which there are 650 in the UK. The constituency representatives called Members of Parliament (or MP) are elected by the residents of each constituency called constituents. Since there are 650 constituencies,...
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...First past the post is a simple plurality electoral system. In order to secure victory in a constituency a candidate has to gain a minimum of a one vote advantage over the nearest rival. This system is not proportional which means that for every constituency there is only one MP representing them in Parliament. Even though the FPTP system has come under criticism, it remains as the electoral system used for Westminster and local government elections, and its advantages are the following. The FPTP system is very simple and easy to understand. The voters only have to write an “X” to indicate their choice. There is no need to rank candidates or to make more than one preference, in contrast to other more complicated systems where confusion arises. For example, there are a huge number of spoilt papers under various types of Proportional Representation as a result of voter confusion. In Scotland when STV was used there were thousands of spoilt ballot papers. However it could be argued that the advantage of ease is overrated as the electorate could be prepared enough to cope with another system as they do in other countries such as Germany or Switzerland. Speed is another lauded attribute of FPTP. We can get the results in constituencies just hours after the polls close and a verdict on who will secure the ability to govern alone before the next dawn breaks. By contrast other electoral systems can take days to calculate as votes are redistributed. In the Republic of Ireland it...
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...The first past the post electoral system is the procedure in which electorates in their individual constituency vote for a party, the winners are generally the party that receives the most votes as well as reaches a fifty per cent majority of the votes; the remainder of the votes are discarded. The first past the post system (FPTP) is used in various countries; prime examples are the general elections in the UK and the presidential elections in USA. Although the first past the post system has received general acceptance, there has been many debates to how democratic the process is and if it should be replaced with a more “fairer” and “democratic” electoral system… Firstly, the main issue within the first past the post system is the democratic persona it creates; due to the fact that only the votes of the successful party are counted and the remaining votes (no matter how close) are discounted therefore making it based on a “winner takes all” system and in effect, undermining the remaining candidates as well as electorates whose votes are discounted. This can be seen evidently in the 2010 general elections as although labour had won 258 seats, conservatives had won 307 seats therefore stating conservatives had received more votes than all other parties and so their votes are the only one that count whilst all other votes are redundant. Systems involving proportional representation, such as the Additional Member System (AMS) are more democratic as electorates receive two votes...
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...Assess the Arguments for Retaining the First Past the Post System for General Elections The first past the post electoral system is the procedure in which electorates in their individual constituency vote for a party, the winners are generally the party that receives the most votes as well as reaches a fifty per cent majority of the votes; the remainder of the votes are discarded. The first past the post system (FPTP) is used in various countries; prime examples are the general elections in the UK and the presidential elections in USA. Although the first past the post system has received general acceptance, there has been many debates to how democratic the process is and if it should be replaced with a more “fairer” and “democratic” electoral system… Firstly, the main issue within the first past the post system is the democratic persona it creates; due to the fact that only the votes of the successful party are counted and the remaining votes (no matter how close) are discounted therefore making it based on a “winner takes all” system and in effect, undermining the remaining candidates as well as electorates whose votes are discounted. This can be seen evidently in the 2010 general elections as although labour had won 258 seats, conservatives had won 307 seats therefore stating conservatives had received more votes than all other parties and so their votes are the only one that count whilst all other votes are redundant. Systems involving proportional representation, such...
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...Explain the main impacts of any two electoral systems other than First Past the Post (10 marks) Proportional systems such as closed party list are distinctly more in favour of smaller parties than most other systems. This is attributed to the fact that the percentage of votes cast in favour of a party directly corresponds to the percentage of seats they gain; this leads to an exceptionally more accurate result than majoritarian systems. Because of this, parties which are marginalised in a majoritarian or plurality system are not discounted from seats if they fail to win a constituency vote. As such, under a proportional system, in 2010 parties other than the Lib Dems, Tories, and Labour would have over double the seats they did; 77 compared to the actual 35. This highly representational form of election would lead to the proliferation of numerous smaller, perhaps more radical parties, promoting a multi-party norm; many of these parties may well be more akin to pressure groups in their narrow issue focus, though now they would have legislative power. As such, it would likely be very difficult for any party to gain an absolute majority in parliament as the makeup of the parliament would be exceptionally diverse. In Germany for instance, there have only ever been 2 majority governments in the Bundestag; the rest have all been coalitions. This has led many to state that a proportional system will usually lead to a coalition government. The potential for intense political diversity...
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...and should be replaced by the Single Member Plurality System (commonly referred to as ‘first past the post’)’. Critically analyse the above statement with a comparison between the two systems identified. 1631 words (including bibliography) Firstly, what is an election system? In my eyes it’s a means of finding the most popular outcome by converting votes casted in an election into government seats. However there countless different types of election systems and the two which we are going to look into and scrutinise right now is the PR-STV system and the Single Member Plurality system. Before delving further into the above controversial statement we must fully understand the meaning and results of both of these systems, beginning with the PR-STV (Proportional Representation-Single Transferable Vote) system. The PR-STV system is by far the least popular of these two systems in terms of countries it is used in, only being used in Ireland and Malta to help elect our (and their) National Parties. It runs on a basis of casting your vote in order of most preferred to least preferred. A quota is then announced and the those who reach the quota is deemed elected and their excess votes are put back in the system and goes towards the next electable candidate on the ballot sheet. The Single Member Plurality system (sometimes known as the ‘first past the post system’) differs greatly and is a lot less complicated than the PR-STV system. The candidate(s)...
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...1. Explore the significance of the British and American first-past-the-post election system with special reference to its effect on the party system in each country. How does it limit the development of third parties? Why have the Liberal Democrats been successful in joining the government despite the strong limits on representation that the electoral system provides? Britain and America are quite commonly known as first world countries (highly developed countries) and they are known to be the most powerful countries in the world. Britain and America practice the same type of electoral system that is first past the post. Their political system is large and intense mainly due to the size of the countries. As mention in the book Introduction to comparative politics: poltical challenges and changing agenda( fifth edition) ,Britain have a democratic parliamentary government headed by a Monarch and Prime minister and on the other hand the US (America) has a Presidential system and a Federal government with power share between the National government and fifty (50) states government. Both America and Britain have a bicameral system. In Britain, the Heads of state and Heads of Government are different in the role they play in that the monarch (which is the queen) and also the Head of state is responsible for mainly ceremonial duties, the Prime minister (Head of government) looks after the day to day affairs of the government. Any decision that is made needs the queen approval. In...
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...system in need of reform? In this essay I will discuss whether or not, Westminster should look to adopt a different type of voting system rather than continuing the use of the current voting system, First Past the Post (FPTP). I believe that first past the post is the best voting system for the UK as it prevents extremists getting into power and also creates a strong government; however I will assess this and take arguments which contradict my opinion into consideration. First past the post is a way of voting in the general election, the UK is split into 650 constituencies and each constituent is asked to vote for a constituency representative. For example Tottenham last voted for Labour MP, David Lammy as the representative. In theory the party with the most winning representatives win. Voters select a single candidate and they do it by checking their name with an ‘X’ on the ballot. First past the post is also a plurality system, the candidate who is deemed as the winner only needs a plurality of votes. This is one of the fundamental rules of first past the post, for example if candidate A got 30,000 votes, candidate B got 22,000 and candidate C got 26,000 votes candidate A would still win although they didn’t get the 50% majority. An advantage of first past the post is the fact that it is raises the likelihood of single member governments. Therefore cabinets do not have to deal and bargain with a minority coalition partner. Many people believe that this is good as cabinet...
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...since it was used for this purpose in 1998. There are two types of party list which are closed list and open list. Open list is where the electorate pick candidates from a list given to them by each of the parties and then an individual candidate is elected due to them having the popular vote. Closed list is where the electorate votes for a party and then the list as a whole. The candidates are then elected depending on the order they look on the list, this is done until all seats are filled. SV is where there are two columns on the ballot form, the electorate has two fill in two parts to this piece of paper – first they will have to mark their first choice and then mark their seconds choice with an ‘x’, however they are not required to make a second choice if they do not want to. Proportional representation tends to be more representative than the first past the post voting system since candidates can be elected even after having a small proportion of the votes, which means that all the other votes given in that constituency would be wasted. An example that can be used as evidence to prove that FPTP is not representative is the 2005 general elections where the Labour government received 35% of the votes and...
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...The electoral college and the election go hand in hand. The electoral college is put into place to elect the president and vice president during the election process. There is debate on whether the voting system should change to a popular vote, a first past the post vote or continue with the electoral college process. The electoral college is a barrier to direct democracy.The electoral college delegates are actually the ones who elect the president. When Americans vote in the presidential election, they are in fact voting for who they want the presidential electors to vote for. Each state has a certain amount of electoral votes based the population of the state, and the votes are equal to the number of senators, and member of the House of Representatives in a state. An example of this is from the website...
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...The standing Canadian electoral system is called the “first past the post” system, which consists of a practice where the candidates of certain parties run, and if elected they win a seat in the house of commons, where they represent their riding. The party with the most seats, and majority vote are appointed by the Governor General to run the Canadian Government. However, simple this process may seem to some people, there is actually more going on behind the scenes, which arises some important questions that we believe Canadians should be informed about. The questions include, how democratic Canada’s electoral system is, what other types of electoral mechanisms are possible, if the current system is the best for the Canadian context, and why or why not, and finally, what type of system the Prime Minister is likely to recommend. The first question we will look at answering is how democratic the Canadian electoral system is, and the...
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...Election Process Voting system There are 4 main voting systems: First-past-the-post system Supplementary vote system Additional vote system Single Transferable vote system First-past-the-post system This system is used in elections for the House of Commons, there is only one seat per each constituency e.g. East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent. People can vote for one candidate of their choice. They can’t vote for more than one candidate or more than once. Therefore, the candidate who gets the most votes is being elected. Main advantages of this system are that it produces more stable governments with little need for coalition and there is close tie between MP and constituency. Main Disadvantages of this voting system are that proportion of candidates for a party elected is not equal to votes cast. Proportional Representation (PR) system Opponents of First-past-the-post system claim that Promotional Representational system is fairer. The main advantage of this system is to ensure that the number of candidates elected for a party is in proportion to the number of votes cast. This system gives a better chance to smaller parties. The main disadvantage of this system is that it may lead to weak government as coalitions are often created and it increases possibility of huge arguments forming in the government, which then might cause government to fall and then another election will be needed. Supplementary vote (SV) system. This system is used for elections...
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...rength of First-Past-the-Post is its effectiveness. Throughout history, it has risen to the demands of the time, often with a brutal decisiveness. That’s what happened when it brought in the Thatcher government in 1979. The British people recognised it was time for change – and the electoral system didn’t let them down. On other occasions, when the public has felt that none of the major parties have all of the answers, it has led to a hung Parliament – as it did last year. Under AV, such decisiveness is much less likely. It will make hung Parliaments more commonplace and make it more difficult to kick out tired governments. Indeed, if it had been in place at the election last year, Gordon Brown could still be Prime Minister today. I can’t imagine anything much worse than a voting system that leaves half-dead governments living on life support. The third reason to save First-Past-the-Post is its efficiency. Everyone knows this country needs to cut spending and get back to living within its means. At this time, we need to protect those things that provide our country with real value for money. Our current voting system does that – it’s cheap to administer and comes with little bureaucracy. There is a real danger that AV could come with additional costs, from public information campaigns explaining the complexities of AV to the extra expense of counting votes at election time. At this time I think our money is better spent on public services than on our political system...
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...is the UK? The term democracy implies that the government in the UK is elected by the people for the people; this statement is true to an extent. However it is difficult to administer as most modern democracies are representative, where the public chooses who they wish to possess power to devise policies that will benefit them. Our electoral system in the UK is currently ‘First Past the Post’, where every person over 18 unless they’re in prison has the right to a single vote. ‘First Past the Post’ is an element of the UK democracy that can be seen as both democratic and undemocratic. It’s democratic because the system has survived the test of time and been relatively unchallenged, but when it has, ‘First Past the Post’ has won i.e. in the Referendum of May 5th 2011. Even if the majority win the minority can still run and succeed in the next election regardless of who won the last election. ‘First Past the Post’ can be undemocratic as if only around 60% of people vote how can the government say they represent the people when 40% of the people who can vote didn’t, this is how ‘First Past the Post’ can be seen as unfair. The system makes it very difficult for smaller parties to get elected because the three main parties dominate the elections these are Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats. For a party like the UKIP to get elected would be impossible as even though they had 3,881,099 votes they only got one seat but then the SNP had 1,454,436 had got 56 seats, how...
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