Evaluating electoral systems

1
Evaluating electoral systems

• McNaughton has suggested 4 principal objectives
• Decisive govt.
• Political representation, with seats in prop. To
  votes
• Social representation, with representatives in
  prop. to social make up of society
• Choice between candidates parties

2
? Your task

• Look at the table on the next slide, and apply
  Naughtons criteria to the different voting
  systems. What score do you give each system?
  Compare your results with the Box 4.7 in Roberts,
  p.66.

3
10 points allocated to each aim. 10 points if
objective is totally reached and 0 if the
objective is totally ignored.
4
10 points allocated to each aim. 10 points if
objective is totally reached and 0 if the
objective is totally ignored.
5
Electoral reform since 1997
6
? Your task

• Using Roberts, p.66-68 research the following
  areas of the debate over electoral reform
• The findings of the Plant Commission
• The findings of the Jenkins Report
• The attitude of the Conservatives to electoral
  reform
• The Lib Dems
• Minor parties
• The public

7
The Plant Commission

• 1990 Labour set up commission headed by Prof.
  Raymond Plant. Recommendations included
• Additional Member System for a Scottish
  Parliament Welsh Assembly
• Regional list System for European elections
• Supplementary Vote System for elections to the
  HoC
• Labour accepted proposals for 1 2 but promised
  referendum on Supplementary Vote System for
  Westminster elections in 1997 election manifesto

8
The Jenkins Report

• Constituency borders redrawn, reducing 659 to
  between 530 560 seats in HoC
• The Alternative Vote system for general elections
• Two votes per voter constituency and top-up MP
• Constituency MP with 50 or more wins (otherwise
  least popular eliminated and votes redistributed)
• 15-20 of MPs top-ups

Roy Jenkins, founder-member of SDLP, Chancellor
of Oxford historian
9
Reaction to Jenkins Report

• Blair (New Labour) warmly welcomed the report
  and urged Cabinet to help him manage the debate
  on electoral reform
• Cabinet reaction divided
• Experience in Scotland Wales (Labour failed to
  win overall majority
• Change might threaten Labours majority
• Labour party is divided
• Curtice, calculations of political advantage
  will decide whether Labour continues with
  electoral reform

10
Attitude of Conservatives to Electoral Reform

• Hague (Conservative) would fight every inch of
  the way to resist change because it took power
  away from electorate and gave it to small parties
• Dunleavy Weir Jenkins Commission was an
  attempt to marginalise the Conservatives

11
Attitude of Liberal Democrats

• Supporters of PR because it favours smaller
  centre parties
• 2001 election manifesto supported AV proposed by
  Jenkins, but ultimately would like to see STV
  used for Westminster

12
Minor Parties

• Favour electoral reform, esp. PR
• Scottish Socialist Party Green Party have
  gained seats due to use of AMS for Scottish
  Assembly

13
Attitude of the public

• Opinion polls suggest public wants strong govt.
  and fair representation for smaller parties
• Experience of PR in Scotland, Wales European
  elections will strengthen case for electoral
  reform

14
Do you think there is a case for not reforming
the electoral system for Westminster elections?
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Additional Member System

• System devised by Allies following occupation of
  Germany after WWII
• Currently used in Germany Hungary, Welsh
  Scottish Assemblies
• Mixture of plurality system and PR system.
  Electorate have 2 votes, 1 for constituency
  candidate 1 for party. Constituency candidates
  votes by simple majority, remaining seats
  allocated according to regional party lists on a
  proportional basis.

16
Regional List System

• Designed for multi-member constituencies in
  effect a whole city, region or even country could
  be one constituency
• Each party submits a list of candidates for a
  constituency, but electorate only vote for party.
  Seats allocated to each party in accordance with
  proportion of vote received. Then candidates
  allocated to seats, working down the list from
  the top.

17
Supplementary Vote System

• Voters have two preference votes. Candidates with
  50 in first ballot win, otherwise only 2
  candidates with highest number of preference
  votes remain. Second preference votes are added
  to the votes for these two candidates and the one
  with the most votes wins.