...The Election Process 2010 General Election The last UK General Election was held on 6th May 2010. No single party won an overall majority of the 650 House of Commons seats. The conservatives won 305 seats, representing 10.7 million votes (36%). Labour won 258 seats, representing 8.6 million votes (29%). The Liberal Democrats won 57 seats, representing 6.8 million votes (23%). The Liberal Democrats and The Conservatives joined together to make a coalition because no one had enough votes to win on their own. The Process of a General Election Fixed Term Parliament Act was passed on 15 September 2011, meaning that General Elections are now held on the first Thursday in May every five years. The date of the next general election is set at 7 May 2015. There are two situations in which a General Election will be called earlier than at five intervals. (i) A motion of no confidence has been passed by the House of Commons against the Government and 14 days has passed without the House of Commons passing a confidence motion in any newly formed Government; or (ii) A motion for a General Election is agreed by two thirds of the total number of MP’s in the House of Commons (currently 434 out of 650). You don’t do that unless you’re confident you can win that election. Once the Government has decided to call a General Election (either because the five years is up or an early election is needed), the Prime Minister will ask the Monarch to dissolve Parliament by Royal Proclamation...
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...The election process Friday March 8, 2013 THE general election machinery is set in motion as soon as Parliament is dissolved either automatically in five years after it’s first meeting or upon the Prime Minister advising the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to do so. Since, the Dewan Rakyat’s first session after the 12th general election was on April 28, 2008, Parliament is set to automatically dissolve by April 28, 2013. And since under Article 55(4) of the Federal Constitution, polling must be held within 60 days dissolution, GE13 must take place by the June 2013. (SeeConstitutional posers for GE13, The Star, Aug 9, 2012) Once Parliament is dissolved, the Election Commission must immediately start its election machinery. There are six steps in the election process, which must be completed in 60 days. They are: 1. ISSUANCE of the Writ 2. NOMINATION of candidates 3. ELECTION campaign 4. POLLING 5. COUNTING of votes 6. ANNOUNCEMENT of results 1. Issuance of the writ Once parliament is dissolved, The EC under the Elections Act 1958 will issue a writ to each returning officer of the various constituencies to conduct the elections. Simultaneously, a notice for the general election will be gazetted and the notice will be posted at convenient places for public viewing. The notices will contain the date of nomination of candidates and the dates for both early voting and regular polling days. 2. Nomination Candidates need to present their nominations papers to the returning officer...
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...door-to-door for votes. Publicity costs money and so the more wealthy parties will have an advantage. In addition, during a general election you will often see party political broadcasts for the main parties outlining their policies. This is because they can afford publicity campaigns that include film-making. Voting Processes Used As technology has evolved there have become more ways to cast a vote than ever before. Most people are familiar with the traditional way of going to a polling office (usually a church, school or community centre that has changed purposes for the day) to go into a voting booth and place a cross on a ballot slip next to the name of the candidate you wish to vote for. First Past the Post (FPTP) The British electoral system is based on the FPTP system. This system is very clear-cut and definitive, the candidate with the highest number of votes in a constituency wins. In order to vote in a FPTP system you simply mark a cross (X) next to the name of the candidate you are choosing. Alternative Vote (AV) Voters must rank the candidates on the ballot paper in order of preference. If a candidate receives 50 per cent or more of first preferences then they are elected. If not, then the candidate with the lowest number of first choices is eliminated and their second choices are redistributed to the other candidates. This process continues until one candidate has an absolute majority. Proportional Representation Publicity and Electioneering Activities It is...
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...ASSESSMENT 2 Understanding the Democratic Election process in the UK Introduction: What is UK Election? A formal and organized choice by vote of a person for a political office or other position in UK is called Election. According to fixed term parliament act on 15th September, 2011 the next election will be held on 7th of May 2015.The act provides for general elections to be held on the first Thursday in May every five years. There are two provisions that trigger an election other than at five year intervals. A motion of no confidence is passed in Her Majesty's Government by a simple majority and 14 days elapses without the House passing a confidence motion in any new Government formed A motion for a general election is agreed by two thirds of the total number of seats in the Commons including vacant seats (currently 434 out of 650) Previous to this act, the duration of a Parliament was set at five years, although many were dissolved before that, at the request of the Prime Minister to the Queen. ●text: http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/general/ Importance of Election Education: Instructors, counsellors and others who work with young people play an important role in Educating new and future voters about the electoral process. For this reason it is important that those who work with youth do what they can to educate youth about the democratic process. In the 2005 British Columbia general election, only 35% of eligible voters aged 18-24 voted...
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...PRO Resolved: On balance, the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is undemocratic. We affirm. To better the round, we clarify the following: First, the definition of “election process” ELECTIONS are based on three organizing concepts: equal respect, free choice, and popular sovereignty are the building blocks of fair and just elections. The democratic process should treat all citizens as free and equal persons. As applied to the electoral process this requires that each citizen equal opportunity to have his or her vote equally counted. Contention 1: Super PACs decrease voter turnout Subpoint A: Voter turnout is a pre-requisite to the election process A flourishing democracy presupposes citizens who care, who are willing to take part, and who are capable of helping to shape the common agenda of a society. Participation through the act of voting, is always seen as an essential prerequisite of stable democracy. Subpoint B: Super PACs decrease voter turnout by 25% “Unlimited spending by supposedly independent super PACs is creating widespread perceptions of corruption and undermining public confidence that elected officials serve in the public interest, The perception that super PACs are corrupting government is making Americans disillusioned, and an alarming number say they are less likely to vote this year. Americans say they are less likely to vote because big donors to super PACs have so much more influence over elected officials...
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...Chennai, India satheshbm92@gmail.com ABSTRACT All distributed systems require one process to act as a coordinator , initiator or otherwise perform some special role .In general , it does not matter which process takes on this special responsibility , but one of them has to do it . The goal of an election algorithm is to ensure that when an election starts, it concludes with all processes agreeing on who the new coordinator is to be. Bully Algorithm by Garcia-Molina is a classic algorithm for leader election in a distributed system. Although the already existing algorithm solves the purpose, the traditional bully algorithm takes lot of message...
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...ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study Structured election process is one of the indicators of stability in Nigeria’s democracy. Elections in Nigeria continue to elicit more than casual interest by Nigerian scholars due to the fact that despite the appreciation that only credible election can consolidate and sustain the country’s nascent democracy, over the years, Nigeria continues to witness with growing disappointments and apprehension inability to conduct peaceful, free and fair, open elections whose results are widely accepted and respected across the country (Ekweremadu, 2011). All the elections that have ever been conducted in Nigeria since independence have generated increasingly bitter controversies and grievances on a national scale because of the twin problems of mass violence and fraud that have become central elements of the history of elections and of the electoral process in the country (Gberie, 2011). Despite the marked improvement in the conduct of the 2011 elections, the process was not free from malpractices and violence (National Democratic Institute, 2012). Thus over the years, electoral processes in the history of Nigeria’s democratic governance have continued to be marred by extraordinary display of rigging, dodgy, “do or die” affair, ballot snatching at gun points, violence and acrimony, thuggery, boycotts, threats and criminal manipulations of voters' list, brazen falsification of election results, the use of security agencies against political...
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...code of conduct for international election observes lays out the standards for election observation agreed upon by a variety of intergovernmental and international nongovernmental organizations. The code of conduct has much more to do with ensuring the integrity of international election observers by laying out what is expected of them, behavior wise, as this is a necessary instrument to ensure an independent and bias free assessment of election processes for different countries. The declaration and code of conduct were drafted as an effort to guarantee the integrity and proficiency of elections. The document defines international election observation as: “the systematic, comprehensive and accurate gathering...
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...Is the United States election process fair? It depends on who you ask. There are many facets of the election process that must be explored to determine fairness. The US election process starts with the once a decade census. The results of the US Census help determine how voting districts will be formed. Legislators have worked since the beginning of this country to ensure that the newly formed districts were fair to each member, regardless of race or socio-economic status. The method of drawing districts to accommodate various categories of people is often referred to as gerrymandering and can result in some very interestingly shaped districts. The method of using the US Census to shape districts is only as good as the data collected from individuals completing the form. Each individual who completes the census form contributes to making the election process more inherently fair. Once local, state or national districts are established and vetted by the various groups that have a vested interest in these districts, it is time to review the rest of the election process to determine if it is fair. Elections start with campaigns. And there is a lot of opportunity to mess with the fairness of the US election process. To start with, the amount of money spent on elections inherently leads itself to a lack of fairness. The system is set up in such a way that only those with sufficient funds or political connections are able to run. That means that potential qualified candidates could...
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...An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office.[1] Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17th century.[1] Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government. This process is also used in many other private and business organizations, from clubs to voluntary associations and corporations....Election is the real participation of people in democracy, where the people participate in direct way to form in government. Election is not only a process where people go on cast his vote, though it is a festival of democracy system. Democracy depend on people, people depend on election there they elected his representative to parliament or government. Government needs to go with election for taking fresh memorandum through people of his country. Election shows the country is rule by the people of that country. Whenever government need for a fresh new term of his government they will go for election. Election is a power of government also a power of people. The dominance of the Indian National Congress was broken for the first time in 1977, with the defeat of the party led by Indira Gandhi, by an unlikely coalition of all the major other parties, which protested against the imposition of a controversial Emergency from 1975–1977. A similar coalition, led by VP Singh was swept to power...
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...The Election Commission of India is an autonomous, quasi-judiciary constitutional body of India. Its mission is to conduct free and fair elections in India. It was established on 25 January 1950 under Article 324 of the Constitution of India. | | Election Commission of India | Agency overview | Formed | 25 January 1950 | Jurisdiction | Government of India | Headquarters | New Delhi | Agency executives | S.Y. Quraishi, Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath, Election Commissioner Harisankar Brahma, Election Commissioner | Structure The commission presently consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners, appointed by the president. Until October 1989, there was just one Chief Election Commissioner. In 1989, two Election Commissioners were appointed, but were removed again in January 1990. In 1991, however, the Parliament of India passed a law providing for the appointment of two Election Commissioners. This law was amended and renamed in 1993 as the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Conditions of Service) Amendment Act 1993. As of 7 April 2011, the CEC is Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from his office by Parliament with two-thirds majority in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. The Election Commission shall consist of a Chief Election Commissioner and such other Commissioners as the...
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...2 The State Judicial Process The State Judicial Selection Process Have you ever wondered how the judges within your state are chosen? The way a judge is chosen for the state varies from state to state, and there are a few ways they are put on the bench. One way for a judge to be put on the bench is to be appointed by the Governor or state legislature (FindLaw, 2012). A second way to choose a judge is through a merit selection. A merit selection is where a judge is chosen by a legislative committee based on each of the potential judge's performance in the past (FindLaw, 2012). A third way to get a judge on the bench is by a partisan election; in which a judge is selected through partisan elections that are voted in by the electorate, or voters registered to parties, because judges often run as part of a political party affiliate (FindLaw, 2012). A Non-Partisan Election is the final way to get on the bench. This is when the potential judges running for a judicial position in the states can put their names on the ballot, but they do not list their political party affiliates (National League of Cities, 2014). In the state of Florida, judges being elected for a term in the state trial courts of general jurisdiction are elected by way of a nonpartisan election (Carp, Stidham, & Manning, 2014). When judges are being selected for a term in the state courts of last resort, the state of Florida utilizes a merit selection (Carp, Stidham, & Manning, 2014). The length of...
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...Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature International and Municipal Concept of Elections Living in a democratic country, the very subject of our government is its citizens. Panganiban (2009) stressed that the citizens’ role is not to substitute for and do what our officials should be doing. The citizens’ job is to perform oversight functions, that is, to demand that only the most qualified are elected or appointed, and then to insist that these public officials perform their duties ethically, courageously and competently. Otherwise, if these officials cannot or would not do their jobs properly, the citizens should ask for their resignation, impeachment or dismissal and their replacement by the ethical, the courageous and the competent. That is why according to ARTICLE V of the Philippine Constitution, the right to suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines who are not disqualified by law and who are at least eighteen years of age and have resided in the country for at least one year in the place where they plan to vote at least six months preceding the elections. No literacy, property, or other substantive requirement shall be imposed on the exercise of suffrage. Furthermore, the provision goes on that The Congress shall provide a system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot as well as a system for absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad. The Congress shall also design a procedure for the disabled and the illiterates to vote without...
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...Sun Star Davao By Ivy C. Tejano Thursday, August 1, 2013 THOUSANDS more registrants trooped to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office at Magsaysay Park during Wednesday's final day of registration for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections. While many of them made it, many failed to make it on time and blamed Comelec for its snail-paced processing. Still, others were hoping Comelec will extend the registration period. Analiza Mantimo, 15, of Tamugan Calinan, said it will be disappointing if ever she would not be registered. Mantino added that she had been at the Comelec office twice, but still she has not been accommodated. "Dili namo masabtan ang sistema nila diri. Bisan ako na mag pa transfer ra, wa gani ka sulod didto unya katulo na ni nako na adlaw diri (I can’t understand their system here. I just need to file for transfer of registration and yet I never made it into their office even on my third day of lining up)," said Marites Premitiba, 44, of Dumoy, Talomo District. "Sa kadaghan sa mga registrants kulang lang jud ang 10-day registration. Dagsa kayo ang mga mag pa rehistro unya pulo lang ka adlaw ilang gitagana para didto sa mga wala pa ka rehistro. Kulang ra pud kaayo ang adlaw (With the number of registrants, the ten-day registration is not enough. There were mobs every day. Ten days is not enough)," said May Ann Ambos, 15, of Tamugan Calinan. Exhausted registrants were still seen at the long lines Wednesday as they waited for several hours...
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...Voters’ registration is a process in which qualifying citizens are registered in order for them to be eligible to vote in an election. Voters registration is a process whose output is the voters’ roll which is basically a list containing the necessary details of all individuals who are eligible to cast their votes in an election. Governments operating under democratic principles around the world have to invest in this process in order to ensure smooth transition of power when time comes. Elections have been a major source of violence and consequently wars when one side feels that it wasn’t given a fair chance in the process. With this in mind, it is important for states to have proper voters roll in order to carry out elections in a credible and peaceful manner. If this process is not conducted in a transparent and collaborative manner, the credibility of the election process will as well be put into jeopardy at the end of the day. It this process which sets the stage of an election to be acceptable or add more credible reasons to rendered the election as not free and fair. In Tanzania, early voters’ registrations involved writing details of voters in a ‘counter’ book and have that book retrieved for verification on the Election Day. Voters were not given any sort of identification for them to keep as a form of authentication; no photographs of the ‘would be’ voters were being taken or kept by the registration clerks. On the day of the election, the verification of the voter...
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