The Strengths and Weaknesses of the British Electoral System as Used in The General Election
For many, many years, the first past the post electoral system has
been used in Britain.
Since it has been used for so long, it should surely mean that it is a
success?
This is not necessarily true, as over the past few years criticism of
the system has been
growing and a search for an alternative been started.
The main concern about the system is that it is not fair. It is
possible for a party, who gain few votes, to get a huge majority of
seats. For example, in the 2001 elections, in Colchester the liberal
democrats won 2 more seats than the conservatives, despite the fact
that the conservatives got 39.5% of the vote and the Liberal democrats
got just 34.5% Also in Croydon, for the third election in a row, the
wrong party has won. In this area Labour won 5 more seats than the
conservatives, yet the conservatives got 7% more of the vote.
For this reason, it has been said that first past the post is not at
all fair, and does not reflect the true feelings or opinions of the
voters.
Another fact that shows that the feelings and opinions of the voters
are not taken into account, is that thousands of votes throughout the
country are put to waste as if their candidate does not win his
constituency then their votes will be disregarded. It is therefore
possible for a winning candidate in a constituency to get more votes
against him, rather than for him. And so the victor cannot truly claim
that he has the full support of the people within the whole
constituency.
The same is true at a national level. In the '97 general election
Labour got 43.2% of the total votes cast. But, the combined number of
votes for the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats represented
47.5% of the voters. Therefore Labour could not truly claim they were
the people’s party, as the majority of the people throughout Britain
In this essay I will argue that British General Elections should be conducted using a system of Proportional Representation. First, I will argue that the system would be more democratic as every vote that is cast would be represented and this ...
For a democratic country to thrive, they must have a proper electoral system in producing the party to oversee our government. Since its inception in 1867, Canada has been using the first past the post system during elections to decide their leading party. Although we have been using this system for an extended duration of time, the FPTP system is flawed and should be changed. The goal of this paper is to prove the effectiveness of shifting to more of a proportional system, while also exposing the ineptness of Canada’s current system. With other methods advancing and little change of the first past the post system, this system is becoming predated. A variation of the proportional electoral system is key because it empowers voters, increases voter turnout, and creates a more diverse environment. Canada should adopt a more proportionate electoral system at the federal level if we wish to expand democracy.
Mackerras, M., & McAllister, I. (1992). Compulsory Voting, Party Stability and Electoral Advantage in Australia. Electoral Studies , 18(2), 217-233. Retrieved from http://journals1.scholarsportal.info.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/details.xqy?uri=/02613794/v18i0002/217_cvpsaeaia.xml
The case can be argued in many ways and that is that there are too
Proportional representation is almost always acknowledged as the fairest electoral system. With this in mind, many still reject a mixed member proportional system. Critics argue that the current method has produced a stable and effective government, while MMP would create an ineffective government. Wiseman feels that since Canada has been consistently stable, our electoral system does not need to be changed. Hiemstra and Jansen disagree with the plurality system that is currently in place for it does not produce fair representation and devalues citizen’s votes. Canadians must make a choice between the value of effectiveness and the values of justice and equity. Although a switch is not anticipated in the near future, Canadian citizens can hope that it is at least in the minds of many voters and on the discussion list of the government.
The Two Party System of UK It has often been said that the United Kingdom possesses a two party political system. However, any balanced argument on this issue must take into account both the differing perspectives from which this subject can be viewed and the time period which is being evaluated. The two party theory is not universally accepted and many people argue that the UK can best be described as a multi party, dominant party or even a two and a half or three party system, depending on how the subject is approached. The most commonly held view is that Britain is a two party system.
Democracy is defined as government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system (Democracy, n.d.). Canadians generally pride themselves in being able to call this democratic nation home, however is our electoral system reflective of this belief? Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy that has been adopted from the British system. Few amendments have been made since its creation, which has left our modern nation with an archaic system that fails to represent the opinions of citizens. Canada’s current “first-past-the-post” (FPTP) system continues to elect “false majorities” which are not representative of the actual percentage of votes cast. Upon closer examination of the current system, it appears that there are a number of discrepancies between our electoral system and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Other nations provide Canada with excellent examples of electoral systems that more accurately represent the opinions of voters, such as proportional representation. This is a system of voting that allocates seats to a political party based on the percentage of votes cast for that party nationwide. Canada’s current system of voting is undemocratic because it fails to accurately translate the percentage of votes cast to the number of seats won by each party, therefore we should adopt a mixed member proportional representation system to ensure our elections remain democratic.
Post system may not quite be as good as it should be, and perhaps we
The articles have shared some light on the topic “Does our Voting System Need to be fixed?” In these two articles by both man have to very different point of views which make one really think a more about it. The arguments they made based on the voting system where very much concerning issues and should be examined further throughout this paper.
Dinkin, M., and White, I.2008. Voting system in UK. Library of House of Commons: Parliament and Constitution Centre. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/files/108_icpr_final.pdf (accessed November 20, 2010)
I asked for her opinion on the rights and responsibilities, I asked them in the order of the sheet, for the first one the right to vote. She agreed voting should be a right and you should always be allowed to vote for even the smallest things however she doesn't believe It should be compulsory. When it comes to voting for the priminister
The British Electoral System In democratic states, electoral systems are of great importance. Elections give people the right to choose their government; ensure that governments represent the majority (or largest minority) of the people; ensure peaceful changes of government (stability); allow people with fresh ideas an opportunity to enter the political arena; confer legitimacy of government and allow the government to expect people to obey their rules. Unfortunately the British system, Simple Plurality, (also known as 'First Past The Post') has come under fire for its alleged discrimination against smaller parties and its tendency to allow the losing party the ability to rule. Therefore, this creates a question - is the British system fair and democratic, or is it in need of drastic change? There is no denying that the British system has its advantages.
According to the Election Commission (EC) of Malaysia (“Process of election”, n.d.), there are six steps for the Electoral process in Malaysia. It consists of the issuance of the writ, nomination of candidates, election campaign, polling, counting of votes and announcement of results.
out on top with 14 points in total out of a maximum of 20 where each
It is well known that the British political system is one of the oldest political systems in the world. Obviously, it was formed within the time. The United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the constitutional monarchy, providing stability, continuity and national focus. The monarch is the head of state, but only Parliament has the right to create and undertake the legislation. The basis of the United Kingdom’s political system is a parliamentary democracy. Therefore, people think the role of the Queen as worthless and mainly unnecessarily demanding for funding, but is it like that?