Zusammenfassung der Ressource
elections
- how can elections be made more democratic?/ electoral
systems be improved/ which system is better? etc.
- 1. compulsory voting should be
abolished in countries where it exists
eg Australia
- bc: a) legitimate not to care about pol or elections b) can be protest c) outcome can be altered by those who don't care or know enough
- some argue for compulsory bc its respecting forefathers who
fought for vote and would decrease role of money - but not
strong enough argments
- 2. countries using FPTP should change to PR
- a) PR gives seats proportionally to
parties according to the no. of votes
they received, means voters are
proportionally represented.
- b) PR can offer party list systems eg in Poland
where the voters can indicate a preference of MP
choice. There are also mixed systems or STV ones.
- argue all more
democratic bc more
proportional than
FPTP
- mixed system used in
Germany - one vote is for
constituency representative
and one is for party
- STV: (Australia) voters give a preference of
candidates, when one is eliminated votes are
transferred to next candidate, ensures no votes
are wasted.
- district magnitude - no. of MPs elected from each
constituency. Extent to which voters can decide
which candidates take seats won by their party
- only relevant to PR systems, to increase proportionality PR
systems can use constituencies with larger DM.
- FPTP systems dont offer voters
intra-party choice.
- Threshold
- a) some argue that PR systems not democratic or good bc allow extremists to be elected
- b) some argue PR systems are not good bc too many parties make compromise so difficult and results often don't please anyone
- c) this can be introduced through thresholds used, to limit
extremists or no. of parties a country just needs to introduce or
increase threshold
- Netherlands have many parties
in govt bc low threshold of 0.7%
- still makes sure no 'joke' parties
are elected
- Russia have a high threshold of 7%. Very few competing
parties in government, makes it easier to pass laws.
- thresholds counter argument that only FPTP systems
produce stable governments, with reasonable threshold
can also ensure not 'too many' parties
- could bring in use of referendums
- definition of electoral systems - a set of
rules that structures how votes are cast
at elections and how they can be
converted into seats in office
- Duverger's laws - if it is true that FPTP creates 2 party
system then better to use PR bc will better represent the
people.
- PR is logically better system bc was created whilst
FPTP evolved, PR was based on disadvantages and
criticisms of FPTP