Politics - Electoral Systems

Electoral Systems
Electoral Systems
Revision Notes
Electoral Systems
The importance of elections

In order for a country to claim to be a democracy, it is crucial that it
holds free, fair elections in which there is a meaningful choice of
candidates.
In 1994, South Africa held its first free election, in which millions of
previously disenfranchised people were given the right to vote.
Now, free, democratic elections are the norm on the African continent.
Only governments which have been freely and fairly elected can claim
to be legitimate.
Electoral Systems
Types of election in Britain
UK General Elections
Devolved Power
Local Council Elections
Elections
European Elections Referenda Other Elections*
* Including trade union official elections, strike action ballots etc.

Electoral Systems
By-elections
By-elections are held when a vacancy becomes apparent in

the House of Commons and so a new Member of
Parliament has to be elected.
These work exactly the same as General Elections but are

only held in the constituency the vacancy is in.
Electoral Systems
Types of electoral systems
There are different types of electoral system based on the

way they are counted and how seats are distributed.
The main two are:
1. Plurality or Majoritarian systems

2. Proportional systems
Electoral Systems
Plurality or Majoritarian Systems
These systems are based on the idea of one elected

representative per constituency. They are not designed to
provide a proportional result but to provide a clear winner.
Supporters of these systems put the need for a government

with a clear majority in the legislature over the need for a
proportional result.
Electoral Systems
Plurality or Majoritarian Systems

Plurality Majoritatian
In plurality systems, the candidate In majoritarian systems, the

with the most votes wins. candidate who gets a majority of
the votes is elected.
First Past the Post (FPTP) is the
best example of this. For example, they have to get
more than half of the votes.
Alternative (AV) and

Supplementary Vote (SV) are
examples of this.
Electoral Systems
Types of System
Pluralism Mixed Majoritarianism Mixed Proportionalism
• FPTP •Additional
Member • Alternative Vote •Alternative
Vote + • Single
System
Transferrable Vote
• Supplementary
Vote • D’Hondt
Electoral Systems
Proportional Systems
These systems make use of multi-member constituencies or districts,
in which several representatives are elected.
They put the need for proportional results ahead of providing a

government with a clear majority.
The number of seats a party gets in the legislature, corresponds with

the share of the vote they received across the country.
In a perfect example of the system, a party for 40% of the vote, would
receive 40% of the seats though they usually tend to give a slight
advantage to the largest party.
Electoral Systems
Proportional Systems
There are different types of proportional systems too:
• List systems
• Mixed systems
• Hybrid systems
These systems are generally more difficult to understand

than non-proportional ones, and they also take longer to
count and so there can be a delay between polling day and
a government being formed.
Electoral Systems
The Blair Criteria
Tony Blair commissioned an inquiry into the UK electoral

system and set the following criteria for the new
system:
i. Simplicity
ii. More proportional (that FPTP)
iii. Choice (fairness)
iv. MP-Constituency Link
v. Provide a stable government
Electoral Systems
The Blair Criteria: Simplicity
Why is it important?
• Participation must be encouraged.

• Difficult electoral system = low turnout & spoilt votes
• BUT simpler systems = more blunt results (too blunt?)
(However, NI who uses STV for NI Assembly elections had

a 69% turnout at the last election)
Electoral Systems
The Blair Criteria: More Proportional
• Representative. What the people want.

• Seeking a mandate.
Electoral Systems
The Blair Criteria: Choice (Fairness)
• Representative on the ballot paper (people can get their

name on the paper)
• Ability to select representatives (choice on the ballot
paper for voters)
Electoral Systems
The Blair Criteria: MP-Constituency Link
• Accountability and scrutiny – you know who to

blame/praise.
•You can first your MP at the next election.
Electoral Systems
The Blair Criteria: Stability
• Stability gets the job done

– Important for delivering the government manifesto
• Provides clarity
• Provides honesty
• Coalition is the only alternative
Electoral Systems
The Blair Criteria: Winners and Losers
Criteria Systems
Simplicity FPTP, SV, D’Hondt
More proportional STV, Open List System, AMS, AV+, (AV), (SV)
Choice (fairness) Open List System, STV, AMS, D’Hondt, AV+, (AV)
MP-Constit. Link FPTP, SV, AV, AMS
Stability FPTP, (AV), (SV)
Contradictions Points
MP-Con Link ≠ More Prop FPTP 3 D’Hdt 2

Stability ≠ More Prop AV 3.5 AV+ 3
Choice ≠ Simplicity AMS 3 SV 3
STV 2
Electoral Systems
Our Current System
Currently, in the UK, we use First Past the Post (FPTP) to

elect MP’s to Westminster. It is also used in English and
Welsh local council elections.
In 2001, the Con-Lib Coalition held a referendum on

whether to switch to the AV system. The country voted no.
Electoral Systems
First Past the Post

In UK General Elections, all 646 single-member constituencies elect
one candidate to become their Member of Parliament using FPTP.
The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties all have one
candidate in every seat in the UK.
20 of the 24 elections held since 1922 have yielded an absolute

majority for one party in the House of Commons. In only three of these
has the majority been very small (1950, 1964 and October 1974).
Otherwise, majorities have ranged from 197 for Labour in 1997 to 17
for the Conservatives in 1951.
Electoral Systems
First Past the Post
1 The election is called when the Prime

in one box Minister calls it.
Put an ‘X’
Parliament is dissolved, candidates

1
Candidate are selected, the campaign begins.
2 8
Candidate
3 On election day, voters put ONE cross
Candidate in the box of the candidate of their
4
Candidate choice.
Electoral Systems
First Past the Post
2 The polls close at 10pm and the votes

are counted overnight.
4
The candidate with the most votes in
the constituency wins and becomes
the elected Member of Parliament.
Electoral Systems
First Past the Post

Advantages Disadvantages
• Results come almost instantly. • Election results do not represent the views of
• It usually provides strong, stable, single-party the electorate entirely, for example:
governments with an overall majority. – The number of seats each party gets does
not represent their share of the vote.
• It provides ‘rough justice’ in that the result may
– The winning party tends to get more seats
not be entirely proportional, but it broadly (disproportionately). In 1983, the Cons got
reflects popular opinion. 42.4% of the vote and received 61% of the
• There is a close ling between the MP and their MP’s
constituents. – The main opposition also tend to get more
seats than votes.
• The system is simple to understand.
– No election since 1945 has the main party
• It encourages centerist policies. won the majority of votes cast (at least
• It keeps the cost of campaigning down as it 50.1%)
means spending is focussed on particular – In 2005, George Galloway was elected with
marginal locations. only 18.4% of the vote.
• The system is harsh on small parties who tend
to be mis-represented
• Lots of votes wasted
• Encourages tactical voting.
Electoral Systems
2005 General Election
• In May 2005, 9,556,183 people voted Labour, fewer than

in any other post-war election since 1983 – yet they still
won.
• No administration since 1929 has been elected by as few
voters as the one elected in 2005.
Electoral Systems
2005 General Election

Votes obtained Seats obtained
No. of seats
(%) (%)
Labour 35.22 356 55.10
Conservative 32.33 197 30.49
Liberal Democrats 22.05 62 9.59
Others 10.42 30 4.64
• Just over 35% of people voted Labour, yet they got over half the seats.
• Labour got 25% more seats than the Conservatives when their share of the
vote was only 3% more.
• Third parties also suffered. An exactly proportional outcome would have left
the Lib Dems with 142 seats.
• More MP’s than ever before failed to win majority support. 65% of MP’s had
less than 50% of the vote.
Electoral Systems
Supplementary Vote (SV)

SV is a non-proportional majoritarian system recommended by the
Plant Report (1993) commissioned by Tony Blair.
It is currently used in London Mayoral elections and the election of

Police and Crime Commissioners.
It is a cross between the Alternative Vote (AV) and the Double Ballot,
used in French elections (neither used in the UK).
If used at Westminster, 646 single-member constituencies would

remain, and voters would be able to express a second choice. If no
member got over 50% of the first vote, the second votes would be
counted. In this case, all but the top two candidates would be
eliminated and their second votes distributed to the top two candidates.
Electoral Systems
1 The election is called when the Prime

’ in eac h column Minister calls it.
‘X
Put ONE

1
Candidate are selected, the campaign begins.
ate 2 8
Can di d
3 On election day, voters mark their first
Candidate choice of candidate by putting a cross
4 8
Candidate in the first column and their second
choice by putting a cross in the
second column.
Electoral Systems
2 The polls close at 10pm and the votes

50%
Electoral Systems
3 If after the first preference votes are

counted, no candidate has over 50%
4 of the vote, all but the top two
candidates are eliminated and their
50% votes redistributed to those still in the
competition.
If then a candidate receives over 50%

of the vote, they are elected.
Electoral Systems

• It is likely to lead to majority • It is still not proportional; it would

governments. provide a fairer result to 3rd parties
• It retains the single-member- but not total mathematical
constituency link. ‘justice’.
• It avoids the counting of ‘weak’ • Like FPTP, it would also tend to
preferences as only a first and reward parties that have
second choice is recorded, not concentrated areas of support.
3rd, 4th, 5th etc.
Electoral Systems
Closed list system

The most common method of achieving the goal of proportionality is
the list system. Through this system, a voter selects several party
candidates rather than a single candidate. The number of votes won by
that party then determines how many candidates are elected from that
party’s list.
Open list systems are used in Austria, Finland and Sweden. This gives
the voter some choice over the candidates elected. Portugal, Spain
and the UK, the D’Hondt system (in European elections) use closed list
systems. This means the voter has no say over the candidates elected.
Israel uses a list system and treats the whole country as one big multi-
membered constituency making the results of the election very fair.
Generally, the bigger the constituency, the more proportional the result.
Electoral Systems
Closed list system

British European Elections
The country is divided into 75 multi-member constituencies. Scotland is

treated as one large constituency with 7 MEP’s.
Voters have one vote cast for the party of their choice – not the
candidate(s). Seats are then distributed according to the share of the
vote the party gains and are allocated to candidated according to their
placing on the party list.
In 2004, three parties won a slightly higher percentage of seats than

their votes entitled them to. The ‘big winners’ however were UKIP with
12 seats for 16.1% of the vote.
Electoral Systems
D’Hondt (list) system
‘X ’ fo r the party of
Put ONE e 1 The election is held every 5 years.
your choic

Party 1
• Candidate
1 are selected, the campaign begins.
e2
• Candidat
e3 On election day, voters put a cross in
• Candidat
Party 2
the vote of the party of their choice.
• Candidat
e1 8 They have to accept the list of
e2 candidates selected by the party.
• Candidat
3
• Candidate
Party 3
e1
• Candidat
e2
• Candidat
3
• Candidate
Electoral Systems
Con Lab LD Green UKIP 2 The polls close at 10pm and the votes
320000 180000 120000 91000 130000
Electoral Systems
Con Lab LD Green UKIP 3 The party with the most votes is then
awarded the first seat.
320000 180000 120000 91000 130000
East of England EP Seats

Electoral Systems
Con Lab LD Green UKIP 4 That party’s votes are then changed
using the formula below.
320000 180000 120000 90000 130000
Following this calculation, the party

160000
with the next highest amount of votes
is given a seat.
D’Hondt Formula
Number of Votes
Number of seats + 1
Electoral Systems
Con Lab LD Green UKIP 5 This continues until all seats have
been allocated.
320000 180000 120000 91000 130000
160000 90000 60000 65000
107000
80000

Electoral Systems

• Usually a strong connection • Closed lists place power in the

between the votes won and seats hands of the party managers who can
obtained. position troublesome candidates at
• Fairer to small parties. the bottom of the list.
• Likely to produce coalitions which • Closed lists mean voters can’t
have some advantages. choose candidates.
• Good at securing the representation • They make coalitions more likely
of more women and members of which has its own disadvantages.
minority groups in the legislature. • There is no clear link between the
elected representatives and their
constituents (as there are a number of
them)
• Candidates at the top of big party
lists are likely to get selected.
Electoral Systems
Single Transferable Vote (STV)

STV is used for local, devolved and European elections in Northern Ireland. It is
the system most favoured by the Liberal Democrats and Electoral Reform
Society.
Voters list candidates in multi-member constituencies in order of preference

and can choose candidates from more than one party. In order to get elected, a
candidate has to obtain a quota that is determined by a mathematical formula.
For example, in a five-seat constituency, a candidate would need at least 20%
of the votes to be elected.
Normally on the first count, one candidate will be selected. Any ‘surplus’ (more
than the quota requires) are then redistributed according to the second
preferences on their ballot papers. This might lead to one or more other
candidates being selected.
There is then a step-by-step elimination of candidates from the bottom up, with
their votes being transferred to the remaining candidates on the basis of
second preferences – this continues until all seats are filled.
Electoral Systems
a nd idat es in order
c
Rank the nce. 1 The election is called when the Prime
of prefere
Minister calls it.
Can 2 3
1
Can 1
Can 4 6 Parliament is dissolved, candidates
5
Can 3 are selected, the campaign begins.
Can 6 2
8
Can 5
Can 8 7
Can 7
4 On election day, voters rank all
candidates from all parties in order of
preference. They can rank as many
candidates as they wish and in any
order regardless of party.
Electoral Systems
Can 1 Can 2 Can 3 Can 4 2 The votes are counted.

2000 1900 2400 170
In a 5-seat constituency, the quota is
Can 5 Can 6 Can 7 Can 8 20%. This means candidates need
20% of the vote in order to be elected.
60 320 900 220
Total Votes Cast 7970
Norfolk Constituency
Quota 20% 1594 votes

Electoral Systems
Can 1 Can 2 Can 3 Can 4 3 The ‘surplus’ votes from the

candidates already selected are then
2000 1900 2400 260
redistributed – their second
Can 5 Can 6 Can 7 Can 8 preferences are now counted.
140 540 1350 450 No candidate has yet reached the

quota so the candidate with the fewest
votes is eliminated and their second
preferences are counted.

Electoral Systems
Can 1 Can 2 Can 3 Can 4 4 Once again, no candidate has yet

reached the quota so the candidate
2000 1900 2400 260
with the fewest votes is again
Can 5 Can 6 Can 7 Can 8 eliminated and their second
140 590 1390 500

Electoral Systems

2000 1900 2400 260
140 640 1400 700

Electoral Systems

2000 1900 2400 260
140 640 1600 900

Electoral Systems
Can 1 Can 2 Can 3 Can 4 8 The surplus from the fourth elected
candidate is then redistributed.
2000 1900 2400 260
Can 5 Can 6 Can 7 Can 8
140 640 1600 1594

Electoral Systems
Can 1 Can 2 Can 3 Can 4 9 If not all seats are full by the end of the
second preference count, third
2000 1900 2400 260
preference votes will then be
Can 5 Can 6 Can 7 Can 8 distributed and so on.
140 640 1600 1594

Electoral Systems

• There is a good connection between • It is very complicated to count, and

votes and seats. so there could be a delay between
• It is fairer to smaller parties poll day and a government being
• It allows the voter to choose formed.
between candidates of the same party • It is not as proportional as the party
– this demonstrates support for list or AMS system.
different wings of the party. • It breaks the MP-Constituency link.
• It is likely to produce coalitions • Constituencies would be larger with
which has its benefits. more MP’s.
• It is simple for voters to use. • MP’s may have to spend more time
• There is no need for tactical voting – dealing with constituency issues and
their vote will not be wasted. so have less time to spend on bigger,
national issues.
• Some say it could lead to permanent
coalition governments
Electoral Systems
Additional Member System (AMS)

AMS is a hybrid system designed to increase proportionality but with features of
FPTP such as the single-member constituencies.
The voter is given two ballot papers. On one they vote for the individual
candidate they want to represent them in their constituency (like FPTP) on the
second ballot paper, they vote for a party of their choice. The party ballot paper
acts like a list system and the party will receive an equivalent amount of
designated ‘additional’ seats according to their share of the party vote.
In the UK, it is currently used for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and
London Assembly elections.
In Scottish Parliament, there are 129 seats. 73 are FPTP seats in which the
candidates who win them are individually selected. 56 seats are ‘additional
member’ seats in which those who win them have been selected from the party
list.
In Wales, the split between FPTP to Additional Member seats is 40:20.

Electoral Systems
party of
Put ONE ‘X’ for the
your choice
1 Each voter is given two ballot papers.
Party 1 On one, they select a candidate they
• Candidate 1 wish to be their Member of Scottish
• Candidate 2 Parliament for their constituency.
• Candidate 3
Party 2
e box On the other, they select a party they
a n ‘ X ’ in onat
Put • Cand id e1 8 would like to receive an additional
• Candidate 2 member seat.
• Caend1idate 3
Candidaart ty 3
P
e 2 8
di d a
Can • Cand t idat e 1
•aCat idate 2
nd3
e
d id
Can • Candidate 3
4
Candidate
Electoral Systems
2a The polls close at 10pm and the votes

4
As with FPTP, the individual candidate
papers are counted and the candidate
with the most votes wins that
constituency’s seat.
Electoral Systems
Lab Con LD Green UKIP 2b The party list papers are then counted,
and the ‘additional member’ seats are
320000 180000 120000 91000 130000
then proportionally allocated to the
parties according to their share of the
160000 90000 60000 65000
vote.
107000
80000
Additional Member Seats

Electoral Systems

• It produces fairly proportional • There are often doubts about

results. the status of top-up members
• It is fairer to smaller parties. relating to who they actually
• It retains the MP-constituency represent and whether they
should be viewed as second class
link (mostly).
representatives.
• It makes coalitions more likely
• It is not as proportional as PR
(which has some advantages).
systems like party lists and STV.
• It makes coalitions more likely.
Electoral Systems
Alternative Vote + (AV+)
Like AMS, AV+ is a mixed system.
Voters are given two ballot papers, one AV, one list.
However, unlike AMS, the constituency members are voted
in through AV, not FPTP while the top-up members are still
elected through the list system.
This was the result of Lord Jenkins’ Independent

Commission on the Voting System commissioned by Blair.
Electoral Systems
Alternative Vote + (AV+)

• In the constituencies, members • There are often doubts about the

require at least 50% of the vote. status of top-up members relating to
• People can vote for the candidates who they actually represent and
of their choice without fear of their whether they should be viewed as
votes being wasted. Tactical voting is second class representatives.
therefore no longer needed. It is fairer • It is not as proportional as PR
to smaller parties. systems like party lists and STV.
• It retains the MP-constituency link • It makes coalitions more likely.
(mostly). • Constituencies will be slightly bigger.
• It is a broadly proportional system.
• Everyone will have an incentive to
vote as every vote counts.
• In the top-up section, voters will be
able to choose the best candidate to
represent their party.
Electoral Systems
Electoral systems in the UK

England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland
General/ General/
FPTP General FPTP FPTP General FPTP
Local Local
Europe. Welsh
D’hondt Local STV AMS Local STV
Parliam. Assem.
Scottish Europe. NI
PCC SV AMS D’hondt STV
Parliam. Parliam. Assembly
London Europe. Europe.
SV D’hondt PCC SV STV
Mayor Parliam. Parliam.
London
AMS PCC SV
Assem.
Electoral Systems
The use of PR in the UK

Scottish Parliament
In the first two Scottish Parliament elections, there was a shift towards the
smaller parties and independents and way from the main two, Labour and the
Scottish National Party (SNP) both on the constituency and top-up voted.
In the first parliament, six different parties were represented in the house as
well as two independents. In 2003, the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity party took
it’s place in the parliament taken that number to seven.
Voters see more point in voting for smaller parties in devolved elections,
particularly on the top-up papers, as their votes won’t be wasted.
The Green party which suffers at the hands of FPTP in Westminster, won 7
seats in Scottish Parliament in 2003, all under the top-up vote.
Electoral Systems
Welsh Assembly
The three main parties (Con-Lab-Lib) all won seats in the

1999 and 2003 as well as Welsh nationalist party, Plaid
Cymru. (Plaid winning 17 seats in 1999 and 12 in 2003).
The success of Plaid and the more proportional
representation of the Tories and Liberals meant Labour no
longer dominated Wales.
The outcome varied between a Labour administration with

a small majority, a minority Labour administration and a
Labour-Lib Dem Coalition.
Electoral Systems
London Assembly
In 2003, five of the 25 seats were won by Liberal

Democrats, two by the Greens and two by UKIP.
Electoral Systems
European Parliament
Labour fared badly in the 1999 and 2004 general elections

(obtaining its worst vote in terms of the popular vote since
1918 in a national election, winning just 19 seats) and the
Conservatives lost a load of seats in 2004, winning just 27.
The Lib Dems and UKIP both won 12 of the 75 mainland
seats, the Greens won two, the SNP won two and Plaid
Cymru won one.
Electoral Systems

What do we learn?
On the mainland, and in European elections, the nationalist parties in

Scotland and Wales gain much fairer representation than they do in
Westminster under FPTP.
The use of PR in the UK also tends to help smaller parties at the

expense of Labour and the Conservatives (the traditional choices).
FPTP greatly assists Labour and the Tories yet hinders smaller parties
at Westminster, including the Liberal Democrats (though in some
examples, like George Galloway, it helps in 2005).
Electoral Systems
Single-party governments
Advantages of single-party governments
• We all know who to hold responsible.

• It shows a strong, stable and durable government – it’s
unlikely to fall apart over political difference.
• In Britain, we know the next morning after elections who
will be in government.
• Coalitions have the disadvantage of not being elected,
usually unstable and incapable of providing strong
leadership.
Electoral Systems
Single-party governments
Can single-party gov’ts claim a mandate?
• No one can ever be sure why people select a party in an election – its
usually because they broadly approved of the party or leader.
• Manifestos are often vague and lack detail, so even if people do read
them (which is rare) they are not given all the facts about things the
government will do after the election.
• Governments have to make difficult decisions on issues that arise
during it’s lifetime which cannot be mentioned in the manifesto.
• Post-war governments, namely after 2005/10 have not received the
backing of the majority of the people.
Electoral Systems
Coalition governments
There are different types of coalitions:

• Two-party coalitions, like that in control of the UK at
present, or the Grand coalition led by Angela Merkel in
Germany since November 2005.
• Multi-party coalitions, perhaps involving three or four
parties. Common in Austria, Italy and the Netherlands
where there aren’t two main parties like the UK/US.
Electoral Systems
• In Europe, coalitions are much more common as there isn’t the same
two-party dominance as there is in the UK/US.
• Coalition agreements are alien to British tradition. The current
coalition agreement is only 4 pages long and was not democratically
elected on as a party’s manifesto usually is when that party gains a
majority and forms the government.
• Coalitions and PR may usually suggest instability, but as the UK
coalition has shown, it’s actually not that unstable at all.
• Coalitions take a while to form after the election – effectively leaving
the country without a government potentially for days or even weeks.
Electoral Systems
• FPTP may produce a single-party • Forming coalitions can be difficult and

government but this isn’t always a good take a long time.
thing. Gov’ts with a large majority could be • When forming coalitions, parties have a
‘too’ powerful. lot of ‘behind-the-scenes’ meetings over
• Coalitions provide more continuity from policies etc. This may lead to policies
one gov’t to another. Instead of lurches being created that the public couldn’t have
from left to right when Cons take over from read about in the party’s manifestos and
Lab etc. so makes them undemocratic.
• The Lib Dems have a moderating effect – • Major policies that people may have
centralising government policy. been in support of may have to be shelved
• Policies would be based upon support to reach a compromise.
from a greater majority of the population. • Policies that appear may be quite centrist
• Coalitions are about parties working when actually radical decisions need to be
together in a spirit of compromise for the made.
good of the country. • The third party might be seen to have
more influence that it should. Labour
currently has more seats than the Lib
Dems but the Lib Dems have more power?
Electoral Systems
Direct Democracy
• Direct Democracy is not practical to practice in most

Western democracies today, elements of it still survive.
• In Switzerland, the public regularly get the opportunity to
vote on political issues and policies.
• In New England, US, particularly the state of Maine, town
meetings held regularly give local residents the opportunity
to be involved in decision making on matters as great as
same-sex marriage down to more nitty gritty things like the
management of local facilities.
Electoral Systems
MPs: Delegates or Representatives?
Edmund Burke argued that an MP has a duty to his/her

constituents to listen to debates in parliament on certain
issues, read up on the matter and then cast a judgement
based on what they’ve learnt on behalf of their constituents.
This would make them a representative of the people who
elected them.
However, other MP’s argue that they have a duty to their

constituents to listen to what the people have to say on
different issues and then decide based on popular public
opinion (of their constituents) on what to do, regardless of
their personal opinions. This would make them a delegate
of the people who elected them.
Electoral Systems
Referenda in the UK
Until recent years, Britain has had little experience on

voting in referenda. One of the first referendum in years
was held in 1973 by the Conservatives on the issue of
borders between Northern and the Republic of Ireland.
Labour then allowed Scotland and Wales to vote in a
referendum on devolution in 1979.
The first UK-wide referendum was held in 1975 when

Harold Wilson (Labour) asked the country ‘Do you think
that the United Kingdom should stay in the European
Economic Community (the Common Market)’
Electoral Systems
Referenda in the UK
After May 1997, referenda in the UK were held to resolve

the issue of devolution and to shape the future of London’s
government. The six counties of Ireland then also voted on
and approved the Good Friday Agreement.
In 2011, another UK-wide referendum was held on the

issue of whether the UK should change the way it elects its
Members of Parliament to Westminster, from First Past the
Post system to the Alternative Vote system.
Electoral Systems
Referenda in the UK
Turnout
Year Topic Outcome
(%)
Border poll in Northern Ireland: electorate asked
Massive majority to remain
1973 is they wanted to remain part of the UK or join 61.0
in the UK
the republic of Ireland.
UK’s membership of the EEC: electorate asked
64% majority to stay in (43%
1975 if they wished to stay in the Community or 64.0
of whole UK electorate)
withdraw from it
Scotland: Narrow majority in
Devolution to Scotland and Wales: did the Sc: 60.1
1979 favour
electorate want a devolved assembly Wa: 58.3
Wales: majority against
Scotland: Strong in favour
Devolution to Scotland and Wales: did the Sc: 60.1
1997 Wales: Very narrow majority
electorate want a devolved assembly Wa: 50.1
in favour
Good Friday Agreement: voters of both Northern
Overwhelming majority in
1998 Ireland & Irish Republic asked to endorse the 81.0
favour
package
2011 Alternative Vote

Electoral Systems
Referenda in the UK
Why are they recently more popular?
In 2000, referenda, and rules on how to run them, were put

into legislation under the Political Parties, Elections and
Referendums Act 2000.
Governments have found referenda useful in resolving

more controversial issues that cut across parties. They tend
to be held when ministers would rather let the public decide
on a matter than make the final decision themselves.
Electoral Systems
Referenda in the UK
Advantages of referenda
• A decision made by a referendum will carry more authority than one

made by parliament.
• They can help to save democracy when people have become
disenchanted with it.
• They encourage people to take part in politics.
• They make the electorate better informed on certain issues.
• They are better than general elections in the sense that people can
specify their views on a particular issue in a referendum as opposed to
a range of issues in a general election.
• They help the government make decisions to big for them to decide.
• They are good for tackling issues that cut across party lines,
especially moral issues.
Electoral Systems
Referenda in the UK
Disadvantages of referenda
• They are complicated for the electoral – particularly when they are expected to vote on
big issues like leaving the EU.
• They can over-simplify things such as leaving the EU.
• They only tell you what the public are feeling about that issue at the time the
referendum is held.
• The question being asked can change the outcome of the same issue. The question
has to be as specific and as unbiased as possible for it to be truly democratic.
– General Pinochet of Chile gained the support of 75% of the electorate when asking the
question, ‘In the face of international aggression unleashed against the government of the
fatherland, I support President Pinochet in his defence of the dignity of Chile’ (funnily
enough).
• When deciding social issues, emotions can come in to play which can produce
ultimately unwanted results.
• People might vote ‘for the wrong reasons’ for example, to express discontent with the
government – forgetting that actually this is a big, long term issue.
• Campaigns can be expensive and so advantageous to well-funded groups.

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Electoral Systems

The importance of elections

Types of election in Britain

European Elections Referenda Other Elections*

* Including trade union official elections, strike action ballots etc.

By-elections are held when a vacancy becomes apparent in

These work exactly the same as General Elections but are

Types of electoral systems

There are different types of electoral system based on the

The main two are:

1. Plurality or Majoritarian systems

Plurality or Majoritarian Systems

These systems are based on the idea of one elected

Supporters of these systems put the need for a government

Plurality or Majoritarian Systems

In plurality systems, the candidate In majoritarian systems, the

Alternative (AV) and

Pluralism Mixed Majoritarianism Mixed Proportionalism

They put the need for proportional results ahead of providing a

The number of seats a party gets in the legislature, corresponds with

There are different types of proportional systems too:

These systems are generally more difficult to understand

The Blair Criteria

Tony Blair commissioned an inquiry into the UK electoral

The Blair Criteria: Simplicity

• Participation must be encouraged.

(However, NI who uses STV for NI Assembly elections had

The Blair Criteria: More Proportional

• Representative. What the people want.

The Blair Criteria: Choice (Fairness)

• Representative on the ballot paper (people can get their

The Blair Criteria: MP-Constituency Link

• Accountability and scrutiny – you know who to

The Blair Criteria: Stability

• Stability gets the job done

The Blair Criteria: Winners and Losers

Simplicity FPTP, SV, D’Hondt

MP-Constit. Link FPTP, SV, AV, AMS

Stability FPTP, (AV), (SV)

MP-Con Link ≠ More Prop FPTP 3 D’Hdt 2

Our Current System

Currently, in the UK, we use First Past the Post (FPTP) to

In 2001, the Con-Lib Coalition held a referendum on

First Past the Post

20 of the 24 elections held since 1922 have yielded an absolute

First Past the Post

1 The election is called when the Prime

Parliament is dissolved, candidates

First Past the Post

2 The polls close at 10pm and the votes

First Past the Post

2005 General Election

• In May 2005, 9,556,183 people voted Labour, fewer than

2005 General Election

Conservative 32.33 197 30.49

Liberal Democrats 22.05 62 9.59

Others 10.42 30 4.64