CPO 2002: FINAL EXAMChapter 13: Elections and Electoral SystemsClassifying Democracies- Elections are the fundamental characteristics of all democratic governments.- Democracies are sometimes classified in terms of the electoral system that they employ.- An electoral system is a set of laws that regulate electoral competition between:o Candidateso Parties o Both.- Political scientists typically distinguish between electoral systems based on the electoral formula that they employ. Electoral Systems- An electoral formula determines how votes are translated into seats. Majoritarian Electoral Systems- The main dimension along which electoral systems are divided is between majoritarian and proportional systems.o Majoritarian system: single member district plurality, alternative vote, two round system, single non-transferrable vote, Borda count.o Proportional: closed and open list PR, single transferrable vote. - A block vote (multi member) is one in which the candidates or parties that receive the most votes win.- An absolute majority is the option that wins the support of all voters. SMDP Systems- A single-member district plurality system is one in which individuals cast a single for a candidate in a single-member district. SMDP SystemsAdvantages Disadvantages- Relative simplicity: they are easy to explain tovoters and easy for them to understand.- They are easy to administer and relatively lowin cost. - Only on representative is elected in each district which means that responsibility for what happens in the district lies squarely with that person. - It makes it easy for voters to identify who is responsible for policies in their district and therefore to hold them accountable in the next election. - By making it easier for voters to hold reps accountable, the systems create incentives for representatives to perform well in office.- They have the potential to produce unrepresentative outcomes which means that candidates can win without obtaining a majority of the votes. - Produces unrepresentative outcomes because it is entirely possible for a party that wins a significant percentage of the overall national vote to obtain very few legislative seats because it fails to come first in many constituencies. - Encourages strategic voting- Can encourage the creation of ethnic or clan-based parties in countries in which ethnic groups and clans are regionally concentrated. Election Results from the Corby Constituency, UK Legislative Elections, 2010Candidate Party Votes PercentageLouise Bagshawe Conservatives 22,886 42.2Phil Hope Labour 20,935 38.6Portia Wilson Liberal Democrats 7,834 14.5Roy Davies British National Party 2,525 3.6Alternative Vote- A second type of majoritarian voting is the preference voting which is a system of preferential voting.- Preference voting involves voters ranking one or more candidates or parties in order of preference on the ballots.- The alternative vote, is used in single-member districts, it is an electoral system in which voters mark theirpreferences by rank ordering the candidates. - If no candidate wins an absolute majority, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and her votes are reallocated until one candidate has an absolute majority of the valid votes remaining. Richmond Constituency, New South Wales, Australia 1990Candidate First Count Second Count Third Count Fourth Count(no.) (%) (no.) (%) (no.) (%) (no.) (%)Stan Gibbs 4,346 6.3 4,380 6.3 4,420 6.4 4,504 6.5Neville Newell18,423 26.7 18,467 26.7 18,484 26.8 18,544 26.9Gavin Baillie 187 0.3Alan Sims 1,032 1.5 1,053 1.5 1,059 1.5 1,116 1.6Ian Paterson 445 0.6 480 0.7 530 0.8Dudley Legget 279 0.4 294 0.4Charles Blunt 28,357 40.9 28,274 41.0 28,303 41.0 28,416 41.22Helen Caldicott16,072 23.3 16,091 23.3 16,237 23.5Alternative Voting SystemsAdvantages Disadvantages- Easy for voters to identify who is responsible for district policy and hold them accountable. As a result, we can expect high levels of constituency service and strong bonds between citizens and their representatives.- Voters have a greater opportunity to convey information about their preferences than they have under an SMDP system. This is because they get to rank order the candidates rather than simply vote yes and no for one (or more) of them.- There is less of an incentive for voters to engage instrategic voting because they know that their vote will not be wasted if the candidate they most prefer is unpopular and unlikely to win; their vote is simply transferred to the candidate they prefer next.- Encourages candidates and parties to win not only the votes from their base supporters but also the “second preferences” of others. This is because these second preferences may end up being crucialto their election. To attract these votes, candidates are likely to have to make broadly based centrist appeals to all interests rather than focus on narrow sectarian or extremist issues.- Allows candidates to win who do not obtain majority support because candidates are eliminatedone at a time until one has an overall majority.- It is rather complicated. From the point of view of the voters, it requires a reasonable degree of literacy and numeracy; from the point of view of the authorities, the counting process can be costly and drawn out.Two-Round Systems- A two-round system (TRS) has the potential for two rounds of elections.- Candidates or parties are automatically elected in the first round if they obtain a specified level of votes, typically an absolute majority. o Those candidates or parties that win the most votes in the second round are elected.- There are two types of two-round systems:o Majority-runoff TRS: candidate-centered systems in single-member districts in which voters have a single vote. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority of votes, then the top two vote winners go onto compete in a runoff election. Whoever wins the most votes in the runoff is elected. o Majority-plurality TRS: candidate-centered systems in single-member districts in which voters have a single vote. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority of votes, then all candidates that overcome some preordained threshold of votes can contest the second round. Whoever wins the most votes in the second round is elected.Two Round Majority SystemsAdvantages Disadvantages- Gives voters more choice than they enjoy in SMDP systems. For example, individuals who vote for a candidate who “loses” in the first round get a second
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