Understanding UK Elections and Political Systems
Explore the intricacies of UK elections and its political systems, including the roles of Parliament, the House of Commons, and the House of Lords. Learn about the General Election process, First-Past-the-Post system, constituencies, and the various types of elections in the UK like the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections. Dive into the Alternative Vote system and the dynamics of General Election Day.
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ELECTIONS OUTLINE General Elections Other Elections Alternative Vote (Referendum 2011) General Election Day Miss C. Fielder November 2014 1
The three main parts of Parliament House of Lords The Monarch House of Commons All of the Peers. They are unelected. They are nominated experts in their fields. The Prime Minister has a large say in who becomes a Peer. The King or Queen at the time. They have less power now but still have the final sign-off on laws and on Peerages. All of the MPs elected by UK citizens in the GENERAL ELECTION. Each represents their own constituency. 2
General Elections UK For MPs in House of Commons One constituency = one MP First-past-the-post system Postal voting allowed 3
General Elections UK 650 consituencies Each ca. 90,000 voters Scotland: 72 consituencies London: 73 consituencies 4
First-Past-the-Post Candidate with highest no. of votes wins constituency becomes MP in HoC Advantages: o Simplicity o Fair & no cheating o Strong government Dissatisfaction: o Not proportional o Other votes ignored o Postal votes fraud o Low turnout o Coalition government o Main parties favour FPTP 5
Other UK Elections Scottish Parliament & Welsh Assembly: Additional Member System Two votes: one for candidate, one for party. Northern Irish Assembly: Single Transferable Vote System Rank candidates, redistribute if no one reaches threshold Proportional representation coalitions Growing understanding of proportional voting 6
Alternative Vote Referendum One constituency = one MP Voters rank candidates Winner: candidate ranked 1st by >50% If no winner: redistribute votes for lowest candidate according to 2nd preference, etc. Referendum 2011: Rejected AV 7
General Election Day Before: Watch party political broadcasts Vote for preferred party Cast vote in ballot box Count ballot papers After: Election Night TV coverage After: Race to declare 8
Election Day Procedure FILL IN THE BLANKS After the date for the election has been fixed, nominations for candidates are invited in each _____. In order to get their names on the _____, candidates deposit 500 with the _____ (the person responsible for the conduct of the elections in each constituency). They get this money back if they receive _____ percent of the votes or more. They can also, if they wish, indicate their political affiliation after their names on the _____. About three weeks later, the election takes place. On _____, which is always a Thursday, the _____ open at seven in the morning. To be eligible to vote, a person must be at least aged eighteen years old and be on the _____. This is compiled every year for each _____ separately. Nobody is obliged to vote. Each voter has to vote at a particular _____. After being ticked off on the _____, the voter is given a blank _____ which he or she takes to a _____. There, he or she makes a choice by putting an X next to the name of one candidate and then drops the marked _____ into a _____. The _____ close at ten in the evening. Then, all the _____ are taken to a central place in the constituency, where they are opened and the _____ begins. When all the voted have been counted, the _____ makes a public announcement of the number of votes cast for each candidate and declares the winner to be the _____ for the _____. 9
References Allen, P., Electoral reform: the alternative vote, AV plus and single transferable vote explained , The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/politics/interactive/2010/may/10/proportional- representation-alternative-vote-plus, 11 May 2010 Education Service, General Election in nearly 60 seconds , Parliament.co.uk, http://www.parliament.uk/education/teaching-resources-lesson-plans/general- election-60-secs/, n.d. Electoral Reform Society, Alternative Vote , Electoral Reform Services, http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/alternative-vote/#sthash.SJBXsWDn.dpuf , n.d. Lees, C., How Unusual is the United Kingdom Coalition (and What are the Chances of It Happening Again)? , The Political Quarterly, 82/2, 2011, 279-292. Qvortrup, M., Voting on Electoral Reform: A Comparative Perspective on the Alternative Vote Referendum in the United Kingdom , The Political Quarterly, 83/1, 2012, 108-116. Watts, D., British government and politics (Edinburgh U.P., 2006) 10
