The LSE's Simple Guide to Voting Systems
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The Impact of UK Electoral Systems
Patrick Dunleavy and Helen Margetts The impact of UK electoral systems Article (Accepted version) (Refereed) Original citation: Dunleavy, Patrick and Margetts, Helen (2005) The impact of UK electoral systems. Parliamentary affairs, 58 (4). pp. 854-870. DOI: 10.1093/pa/gsi068 © 2005 Oxford University Press This version available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/3083/ Available in LSE Research Online: February 2008 LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LSE Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (http://eprints.lse.ac.uk) of the LSE Research Online website. This document is the author’s final manuscript accepted version of the journal article, incorporating any revisions agreed during the peer review process. Some differences between this version and the published version may remain. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from it. Forthcoming in Parliamentary Affairs, September 2005 THE IMPACT OF THE UK’S ELECTORAL SYSTEMS* Patrick Dunleavy and Helen Margetts In the immediate aftermath of the general election the Independent ran a whole-page headline illustrated with contrasting graphics showing ‘What we voted for’ and ‘What we got’, followed up by ‘…and why it’s time for change’.1 The paper launched a petition calling for a shift to a system that is fairer and more proportional, which in rapid time attracted tens of thousands of signatories, initially at a rate of more than 500 people a day. -
Electoral Reform in Canada: the Shape of Things to Come an Executive Summary March 2016
Electoral Reform in Canada: The Shape of Things to Come An Executive Summary March 2016 We are committed to ensuring that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first- past- the- post voting system. As part of a national engagement process, we will ensure that electoral reform measures—such as ranked ballots, proportional representation, mandatory voting, and online voting—are fully and fairly studied and considered .... Within 18 months of forming government, we will bring forward legislation to enact electoral reform. —Justin Trudeau, Real Change: A Fair and Open Government ABOUT THIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Public Services Foundation of Canada and the National Union of Public and General Employees have prepared a comprehensive discussion paper based on a survey of the literature and polling and focus group results, which will be published at a later date. This executive summary provides an overview of the main points without the inclusion of the research, position paper, or polling results. Electoral Reform in Canada: The Shape of Things to Come Executive Summary The Canadian Debate Justin Trudeau promised during the election that this would be the last federal election to use the unfair first-past-the-post (FPTP) system. Although he has indicated that other voting systems would be considered, Trudeau has indicated that his preferred proposal is a version of the single transferable vote (STV) that uses a ranked ballot. His critics say that when STV is used in single member ridings, it is really just an alternative vote (AV) system, also known as an instant run-off system, and the result would be even more unfair in its outcome than FPTP. -
Elections REFORM September 2015
TOPIC EXPLORATION PACK GCSE Theme: Elections REFORM September 2015 GCSE (9–1) Citizenship Studies Oxford Cambridge and RSA We will inform centres about any changes to the specification. We will also publish changes on our website. The latest version of our specification will always be the one on our website (www.ocr.org.uk) and this may differ from printed versions. Copyright © 2015 OCR. All rights reserved. Copyright OCR retains the copyright on all its publications, including the specifications. However, registered centres for OCR are permitted to copy material from this specification booklet for their own internal use. Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England. Registered company number 3484466. Registered office: 1 Hills Road Cambridge CB1 2EU OCR is an exempt charity. This resource is an exemplar of the types of materials that will be provided to assist in the teaching of the new qualifications being developed for first teaching in 2016. It can be used to teach existing qualifications but may be updated in the future to reflect changes in the new qualifications. Please check the OCR website for updates and additional resources being released. We would welcome your feedback so please get in touch. Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Activity 1 ........................................................................................................................................ -
Electoral Reform “Regardless of Electoral System, There Will Always
Electoral Reform “Regardless of electoral system, there will always be opposing views as to advantages and disadvantages of each” Submitted by SR-F 06 September 2016 Because elections and referenda require a high level of voter awareness and responsibility, civic participation in governance must be encouraged in order that Canada’s Democracy becomes one that protects liberties, particularly communal liberties, rather than simply emphasizing individual Rights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMIbH5D0waA Direct Democracy would be the ideal voting system because it allows citizens to participate in most every aspect of governance through initiatives/voting/referenda... laws and changes to the national constitution being voted on by the citizenry affording them a much greater measure of control over political minutiae. Switzerland is the most prominent modern democracy to use elements of Direct Democracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland with versions of it at State and local levels in the USA. As opposed to direct democracy, some version of Representative Democracy , founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people (includes Referendum/Initiatives/Recall that provide limited Direct Democracy), would appear to be more practical for Canada at this point in time. Present System : FPTP - Plurality In “winner-take-all" electoral systems, generally just two parties end up competing in national elections, forcing political discussions into a narrow two-party frame where loyalty and party line assertions can distort political debate, voters left undecided as to where to place their vote. When FPTP Voters realise that their preferred candidate cannot win, knowing that their vote won’t count or will be wasted, they have little incentive to vote. -
Lessons on Voting Reform from Britian's First Pr Elections
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW: LESSONS ON VOTING REFORM FROM BRITIAN'S FIRST PR ELECTIONS by Philip Cowley, University of Hull John Curtice, Strathclyde UniversityICREST Stephen Lochore, University of Hull Ben Seyd, The Constitution Unit April 2001 WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW: LESSONS ON VOTING REFORM FROM BRITIAN'S FIRST PR ELECTIONS Published by The Constitution Unit School of Public Policy UCL (University College London) 29/30 Tavistock Square London WClH 9QU Tel: 020 7679 4977 Fax: 020 7679 4978 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/ 0 The Constitution Unit. UCL 200 1 This report is sold subject ot the condition that is shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. First published April 2001 Contents Introduction ................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ..................................................................................4 Voters' attitudes to the new electoral systems ...........................................................4 Voters' behaviour under new electoral systems ......................................................... 4 Once elected .... The effect of PR on the Scottish Parliament in Practice ..................5 Voter Attitudes to the New Electoral Systems ............................................6 -
Electoral Rules and Democratic Electoral Rules, and Governance Democratic Governance Edited by Mala Htun and G
Report of the Political Science, Task Force on Electoral Rules and Democratic Electoral Rules, and Governance Democratic Governance Edited by Mala Htun and G. Bingham Powell, Jr. AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE AssOCIATION n TasK FORCE REPORT, SEPTEMBER 2013 Political Science, Electoral Rules, and Democratic Governance Report of the Task Force on Electoral Rules and Democratic Governance Edited by Mala Htun and G. Bingham Powell, Jr. SEPTEMBER 2013 AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE AssOCIATION 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036-1206 Copyright © 2013 by the American Political Science Association. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-878147-41-7 Task Force on Electoral Rules and Democratic Governance Task Force Members Mala Htun, University of New Mexico, Chair G. Bingham Powell, Jr., University of Rochester; President, APSA, 2011–12 John Carey, Dartmouth College Karen E. Ferree, University of California, San Diego Simon Hix, London School of Economics Mona Lena Krook, Rutgers University Robert G. Moser, University of Texas, Austin Shaheen Mozaffar, Bridgewater State University Andrew Rehfeld, Washington University in St. Louis Andrew Reynolds, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Ethan Scheiner, University of California, Davis Melissa Schwartzberg, Columbia University Matthew S. Shugart, University of California, Davis ii American Political Science Assocation Table of Contents TASK FORCE MEMBERS ............................................................................................................................. ii LIST OF -
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Party Politics of Political Decentralization Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jw6f00k Author Wainfan, Kathryn Tanya Publication Date 2018 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles The Party Politics of Political Decentralization A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science by Kathryn Tanya Wainfan 2018 c Copyright by Kathryn Tanya Wainfan 2018 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION The Party Politics of Political Decentralization by Kathryn Tanya Wainfan Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science University of California, Los Angeles, 2018 Professor Michael F. Thies, Chair In this dissertation, I ask why certain types of parties would agree to support creating or empowering sub-national governments. In particular, I focus on nationalized parties { those that gain support from throughout a country. Political decentralization can negatively impact nationalized parties in at least two ways. First, it reduces the amount of power a party can enjoy should it win control of the national-level government. Second, previous studies show that political decentralization can increase party denationalization, meaning regional parties gain more support, even during national-level elections. I argue that nationalized parties may support decentralization when doing so reduces the ideological conflicts over national-level policy among voters whose support they seek. By altering political institutions, a party may be able to accommodate differing policy prefer- ences in different parts of the country, or limit the damage to the party's electoral fortunes such differences could create. -
ELECTING the FIRST PARLIAMENT Party Competition and Voter Participation in Scotland
PARTY POLITICS VOL 10. No.2 pp. 213–233 Copyright © 2004 SAGE Publications London Thousand Oaks New Delhi www.sagepublications.com ELECTING THE FIRST PARLIAMENT Party Competition and Voter Participation in Scotland Steven E. Galatas ABSTRACT Theory regarding turnout in elections suggests that voters are more likely to vote when their vote could be decisive. The article provides a generalized test of the relationship between the likelihood of turning out and the closeness of elections. Data are single-member district (first- past-the-post) and regional (party list) constituency-level results from the Scottish Parliament election of 1999. Scotland provides an excellent case because the 1999 Scottish Parliament was elected using a combi- nation of single-member districts, plus an additional member, regional list alternative vote system. In addition, the Scottish Parliament election was characterized by regional, multiparty competition. Controlling for other factors, the article finds that closeness counts and relates to higher levels of voter participation in the Scottish Parliament elections. This finding holds for single-member district (first-past-the-post) constituen- cies and additional member regional lists. KEY WORDS electoral competition Scottish Parliament voter turnout In 1999, Scottish voters went to the polls for the first time to elect a Scottish Parliament. Although Scotland had a legislative body prior to the Treaty of Union of 1707, the new Parliament created in 1999 was the first democrat- ically elected Scottish Parliament. Elections to the Scottish Parliament featured a deviation from the single-member district-plurality system (SMD-P) familiar to Scottish voters from other electoral contests. Instead, voters selected Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) using an additional member system (AMS). -
Faclair Airson Riaghaltas Ionadail Gàidhlig Agus Beurla
Faclair airson Riaghaltas Ionadail Gàidhlig agus Beurla Dictionary for Local Government Scottish Gaelic and English Air a chur ri chèile le Compiled by The European Language Initiative a bhuineas do mhodh : a thogas meanmna ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ a ghabhas leasachadh a nì bacadh br a rinneadh leis a‟ phrìomhaire remediable, obstructionist, prime-ministerial adj retrievable adj obstructive adj gnìomh a rinneadh leis suidheachadh a ghabhas innleachdan a nì bacadh a‟ phrìomhaire leasachadh obstructionist tactics a prime-ministerial action a retrievable situation à seo suas cgr A a nì mì-rian br adv hence a ghabhas obrachadh disruptive adj a bhuineas do mhodh viable adj giùlan a nì mì-rian procedural adj a sheallas inbhe moladh a ghabhas obrachadh disruptive behaviour prestigious adj a viable proposition a bhuineas don bhuidseat budgetary adj a rèir roi a sheasas na aonar a lìonas beàrn according to, stand-alone adj a bhuineas don phrìomhaire stop-gap adj relative (to) prep buidheann a sheasas na aonar a stand-alone body prime-ministerial adj a rèir an lagha according to law a mhair fada br a bhuineas don tuath luachan a rèir a chèile a tha a‟ tighinn a-steach br prolonged adj provincial adj relative values incoming adj thug am pàrtaidh dùbhlain cha tig na h-argamaidean ionnsaigh air an riaghaltas a mhair a dh‟aindeoin roi le gin a rèir a chèile a thaobh roi le gin fada notwithstanding adv the arguments are -
Strengthening New Brunswick's Democracy
Strengthening New Brunswick’s Democracy Select Committee Discussion Paper on Electoral Reform July 2016 Strengthening New Brunswick’s Democracy Discussion Paper July 2016 Published by: Government of New Brunswick PO Box 6000 Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5H1 Canada Printed in New Brunswick ISBN 978-1- 4605-1033-9 (Print Bilingual) ISBN 978-1- 4605-1034-6 (PDF English) ISBN 978-1- 4605-1035-3 (PDF French) 10744 Table of Contents Select Committee on Electoral Reform 1 Message from the Government House Leader 2 How to use this discussion paper 3 Part 1: Introduction 4 Part 2: Making a more effective Legislature 8 Chapter 1: Eliminating barriers to entering politics for underrepresented groups 8 Chapter 2: Investigating means to improve participation in democracy 12 Internet voting 18 Part 3: Other electoral reform matters 20 Chapter 1: Election dates 20 Chapter 2: Election financing 21 Part 4: Conclusion 24 Part 5 : Appendices 25 Appendix A - Families of electoral systems 25 Appendix B - Voting systems 26 Appendix C - First-Past-the-Post 31 Appendix D - Preferential ballot voting: How does it work? 32 Appendix E- Election dates in New Brunswick 34 Appendix F - Fixed election dates: jurisdictional scan 36 Appendix G- Limits and expenses: Adjustments for inflation 37 Appendix H - Contributions: Limits and allowable sources jurisdictional scan 38 Appendix I - Mandate of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Electoral Reform 41 Appendix J - Glossary 42 Appendix K - Additional reading 45 Select Committee on Electoral Reform The Legislature’s Select Committee on Electoral Reform The committee is to table its final report at the Legislative is being established to examine democratic reform in the Assembly in January 2017. -
THE 2017 GENERAL ELECTION Volatile Voting, Random Results
FAIR FRANCHISE THE 2017 GENERAL ELECTION Volatile voting, random results JESS GARLAND & CHRIS TERRY AUGUST 2017 CONTENTS Introduction 5 1. The third strike for First Past the Post 9 2. No return to two-party politics 15 3. Divisive system, divided country 19 4. Alternatives 29 Conclusion 35 Appendix 36 ELECTORAL REFORM SOCIETY 3 INTRODUCTION The 2017 General Election was the third strike for the First Past the Post voting system. From producing a hung Parliament in 2010 – something not meant to happen under Westminster’s winner-takes-all voting system – to a slim majority in 2015, the way we elect our House of Commons isn’t doing the one thing it was claimed to be good for – delivering decisive results. This June’s election outcome throws up yet more questions about the legitimacy of our voting system. Our report shows how far from being ‘strong and stable’, First Past the Post is failing to deliver for the public. With one in five voters trying to second-guess each other by opting for ‘lesser evils’, we are left with a lottery election where casting a ballot is like casting a die. Not only have the last three elections either produced hung par- liaments or results so unrepresentative they demean the electoral process (2015 was the most disproportionate in British history), the last two have seen the highest ‘voter volatility’ since 1931. Our voting system is failing to keep up and is undermining the faith voters have that seats in Parliament will reflect the votes they cast. This lottery approach to running elections means we have no idea what will happen or how votes will be reflected in our elected Commons. -
The Impact of Mixed-Member Proportional Representation in Scotland and Wales: Lessons from Germany?
The Impact of Mixed-Member Proportional Representation in Scotland and Wales: Lessons from Germany? Thomas Carl Lundberg Keele European Parties Research Unit (KEPRU) Working Paper 20 © Thomas Carl Lundberg, 2003 ISSN 1475-1569 ISBN 1-899488-18-9 KEPRU Working Papers are published by: School of Politics, International Relations and the Environment (SPIRE) Keele University Staffs ST5 5BG, UK Tel +44 (0)1782 58 4177/3088/3452 Fax +44 (0)1782 58 3592 www.keele.ac.uk/depts/spire/ Editor: Professor Thomas Poguntke ([email protected]) KEPRU Working Papers are available via SPIRE’s website. Launched in September 2000, the Keele European Parties Research Unit (KEPRU) was the first research grouping of its kind in the UK. It brings together the hitherto largely independent work of Keele researchers focusing on European political parties, and aims: • to facilitate its members' engagement in high-quality academic research, individually, collectively in the Unit and in collaboration with cognate research groups and individuals in the UK and abroad; • to hold regular conferences, workshops, seminars and guest lectures on topics related to European political parties; • to publish a series of parties-related research papers by scholars from Keele and elsewhere; • to expand postgraduate training in the study of political parties, principally through Keele's MA in Parties and Elections and the multinational PhD summer school, with which its members are closely involved; • to constitute a source of expertise on European parties and party politics for media and other interests. The Unit shares the broader aims of the Keele European Research Centre, of which it is a part.