1.3 Electoral Systems

• What is the goal of Proportional Representation (PR)?

  Allocate seats proportionally
• In FPTP, the winning criterion is achieving the most votes in a constituency.


  True
• Which electoral system is used in UK general elections?

  First Past the Post
• In the Alternative Vote system, lower preferences are redistributed until one candidate reaches 50%+1 of the votes.
• Order the electoral systems based on their level of proportionality, from least to most proportional.

  1️⃣ First Past the Post (FPTP)

  2️⃣ Alternative Vote (AV)

  3️⃣ Proportional Representation (PR)
• First Past the Post can lead to disproportionate representation
• In Alternative Vote, lower preferences are redistributed until a candidate reaches 50%+1 of the votes
• In First Past the Post, the winning candidate may not have a majority
• What is the winning criterion for Proportional Representation?

  Proportional to overall vote share
• First Past the Post favors larger parties and makes it harder for smaller parties to win seats.


  True
• Proportional Representation aims for fair representation by allocating seats based on vote share.


  True
• First Past the Post can lead to disproportionate representation due to its single-member constituency structure.


  True
• What is the aim of proportional representation (PR) systems?

  Allocate seats proportionally
• How does mixed-member PR ensure overall proportionality?

  Combines constituency and list seats
• Mixed-member PR tends to be highly proportional.


  True
• What is the winning criterion in the First Past the Post (FPTP) system?

  Most votes in a constituency
• What type of voter choice is used in FPTP?

  Single choice for a candidate
• Match the electoral system with its impact on political parties:

  FPTP ↔️ Favors larger parties

  PR ↔️ Gives smaller parties a better chance

  AV ↔️ More favorable to smaller parties than FPTP
• AV is more proportional than FPTP but still favors larger parties to some extent.


  True
• In FPTP, what is the winning criterion for a candidate?

  Most votes in a constituency
• What are electoral systems used for?

  Converting votes into seats
• The main types of electoral systems are First Past the Post, Proportional Representation, and Alternative Vote.
• In FPTP, a candidate must win a majority of votes to win a seat.

  False
• In the Alternative Vote (AV) system, if no candidate wins a majority, lower preferences are redistributed until one candidate reaches 50%+1 votes.
• Match the electoral system with its example:

  First Past the Post ↔️ UK general elections

  Proportional Representation ↔️ European Parliament

  Alternative Vote ↔️ Australian House of Representatives
• Proportional Representation aims for proportional representation by allocating seats based on vote share.


  True
• What is the winning criterion in the Proportional Representation system?

  Overall vote share
• In First Past the Post, the candidate with the most votes wins the seat, regardless of whether they have a majority.


  True
• Proportional Representation aims to allocate seats in proportion to the overall vote share.


  True
• Match the electoral system with an example country or organization.

  First Past the Post ↔️ UK general elections

  Proportional Representation ↔️ European Parliament

  Alternative Vote ↔️ Australian House of Representatives
• Alternative Vote requires voters to rank candidates in order of preference.


  True
• First Past the Post uses single-member constituencies
• Which electoral system uses ranked preferences?

  Alternative Vote
• In Proportional Representation, seats are allocated based on overall vote share
• Match the type of PR system with an example country or organization.

  Party-list PR ↔️ Netherlands

  Mixed-member PR ↔️ Germany
• In a party-list PR system, voters choose a party
• Match the PR system with its example:

  Party-list PR ↔️ Netherlands

  Mixed-member PR ↔️ Germany
• FPTP can lead to disproportionate representation
• PR aims for a more proportional outcome than FPTP.


  True
• What type of voter choice is used in the Alternative Vote (AV) system?

  Ranked preferences