British Electoral System - Essay Example

British Electoral System Introduction Election is a process through which the population chooses their representative by whom they wants to be governed. The veracity of the election process is elementary to the veracity of democracy itself (Kohno, Stubblefield & Rubin, 2004, p. 3). The selection of electoral system is the most fundamental decisions of any democracy. The selection of the electoral system has an intense effect on the political life in future, since once the electoral system is chosen remains fairly constant (International Idea Handbook Of Electoral System Design, 2004, p.4). In this study the characteristics and effectiveness of the British electoral system is analyzed. Current Voting System of Britain First Past the Post (FPTP) FPTP is the current system of electing MP to the house of common. This is used for the local election in Wales and England (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, p.2). It includes “preferential voting in single-member constituencies using either the AlternativeVote (AV) – where voters rank the candidates in declining preference-order – or the Supplementary Vote (SV) – which allows voters to rank their first and second most-preferred candidates” (Hix, Johnston & McLean, n.d., p. 8). In this type of election a specific geographic area is represented by the candidate called riding district. Each riding district has only one elected member. For individual candidates votes are counted on district by district basis. In order to win the riding candidate does not have to receive a clear majority that is more than 50%. Instead he has to only get more votes than the other candidates in the same riding district (The First-Past-the-Post Electoral System, n.d., p. 1). Supplementary Vote The Supplementary vote is almost same as Alternative Vote system except the key difference that SV voter are restricted to indicate only their first and second preferences. Two columns are there in the ballot paper. In the first column the voters have to indicate their first preference and in the second they have to indicate their second preference. The candidate who obtains more than 50% vote in the first preference gets elected. This system is used for electing the Mayor of London (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, p.2). Single transferable vote In this system ranks are provided by the voter to the candidates by marking 1, 2, 3 etc on the ballot paper against the name of the candidate. The candidates are ranked across different parties or within the same party by the voters. Certain quota of votes must be achieved by the candidate in order to win. This system is used “for local government elections in Northern Ireland and Scotland, European Parliament elections in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Assembly” (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, p.2). Additional Member system Under this system the voters can cast their votes into two parts, firstly for constituency MP and second for party list. The lack of proportionality that arises from the FPTP is compensated by this system. “AMS is used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the London Assembly” (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, pp.2- 3). Closed Party List System This system is applicable to a multi member constituency. The electors vote for the party and as per the proportion won by the party, it gets seat in the constituency.” The Closed Party List system has been used for European Parliament elections in the UK since 1999 except in Northern Ireland where STV is used” (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, p.3). Effectiveness of the Electoral System The Single- member plurality, which is followed by the British Electoral system was believed to facilitate “a two-party system of alternating single-party majority government”. But in the 2010 UK election no party could secure an overall majority due to which formation of peacetime coalition government was done (Curtice, 2010, p. 623). This issue raised questions on the effectiveness of the system. To understand this merits and demerits of FPTP should be discussed. Merits It is easily understandable and everybody is aware of the operations of the system. The ballot paper can be easily used by the voters to express their decisions. It is easy to count them and whoever gets the majority wins the constituency election. The member of the parliament is restricted to a particular geographic area which helps him in retaining the local party support. It also helps in building a relationship between the representative and the constituency. Extremism is discouraged by this system. The winner encourages the major parties to maintain a broad appeal. The voters play a major and dominant role in deciding who will be the winning party. The party who has won takes a decisive role in the government and a clear opposition is form. The opposition may check the work of the government (Review of Voting Systems: The experience of new voting systems in the United Kingdom since 1997, 2008, p. 27). Demerits It is possible to deliver highly disproportional result at the national level. Governments can be elected without a majority of vote and can win a majority of seats without even winning more votes than the other party. Constituencies have become safe seats for a large number of parties. If a candidate is supported by the public then it is expected that his vote will increase and lead to large majority. Whereas on the other hand, the party whom the people does not support there is no way to count their votes. Campaigning is concentrated to a particular area by the national parties. Movement of opinion can lead to a large swing of seats from one party to another. The small parties are not present in the parliament unless they have a strong base in a particular area. The parties who spread out in across a larger area are also penalized. The area where the voters do not support the elected MP may feel that they are not properly represented (Review of Voting Systems: The experience of new voting systems in the United Kingdom since 1997, 2008, pp. 27-28). Conclusion None of the electoral systems are perfect; there are always chances of some improvement. Balancing the constitutional structure and the electoral rules has always leaded to some problems and some solutions too. REFERENCES 1. Kohno, T., Stubblefield, A. & Rubin, A.D. (2004). Analysis of an Electronic Voting System, available at: http://avirubin.com/vote.pdf (accessed on January 5, 2013) 2. International Idea Handbook Of Electoral System Design. (2004). available at: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/pnorris/Acrobat/stm103%20articles/IDEAs%20Handbook%20of%20Electoral%20System%20Design.pdf (accessed on January 5, 2013) 3. Voting systems in the UK. (2008) available at: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-04458.pdf (accessed on January 5, 2013) 4. The First-Past-the-Post Electoral System. (n. d.), available at: http://www.nvsd44.bc.ca/sites/pdf/3/3-516-2871.pdf (accessed on January 5, 2013) 5. Hix, S., Johnston, R. & McLean, I. (n.d.). Choosing an Electoral system, available at: http://personal.lse.ac.uk/hix/Working_Papers/Hix-Johnston-McLean-choosing-an-electoral-system.pdf (accessed on January 5, 2013) 6. Curtice, J. (2010). So What Went Wrong with the Electoral System? The 2010 Election Result and the Debate About Electoral Reform. Parliamentary Affairs, 63(4), pp. 623 –638 7. Review of Voting Systems: The experience of new voting systems in the United Kingdom since 1997. 2008. The Governance of Britain, available at: http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm73/7304/7304.pdf (accessed on January 5, 2013) Two Other Electoral Systems Introduction The electoral system is the manner the public casts votes in the general election which is converted into chairs in the legislature and influences the dynamics of governance. The electoral system varies from nation to nations (Menocal, n.d., p. 2). In this study the electoral system of the two nations will be studied namely electoral system of USA and electoral system of China. Electoral System of China Election of “the deputies to the people’s congress” (China’s Political system, n.d. p, 1) at different level is referred to as the electoral system of the “People’s Republic of China”. The deputy includes “general local election and the election of deputies from the armed forces, in the special administrative regions and among Taiwan compatriots” (China’s Political system, n.d. p, 1). There are five local and central level of the people’s congress in China. They are “the National People's Congress, the people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, the people's congresses of cities divided into districts, and autonomous prefectures, the people's congresses of cities not divided into districts, municipal districts, counties and autonomous counties, and the people's congresses of townships, ethnic minority townships and towns” (China's Electoral System, n.d.). The citizen of China who has reached the age of 18 can cast their votes. The people who have been underprivileged of political right cannot vote or stand in election. One voter can cast only one vote in each election. The deputies of the people’s congress, who are elected directly, cannot be divided into” districts, municipal districts, counties, autonomous counties, townships, ethnic minority townships and towns” (China's Electoral System, n.d.). The deputies those who are divided are elected by the people’s congress at the next lower level. Thirdly the candidate who will function as deputies can be recommended jointly or individually by “the political parties and mass organization” (China's Electoral System, n.d.). The candidates may be suggested by minimum of 10 voters or deputies in direct or indirect election respectively. Whether it is a direct or an indirect election, the number of delegates should not exceed the number of candidates. ” In a direct election, the number of candidates should exceed the number to be elected by one-third to 100% and in an indirect election; the number of candidates should exceed the number to be elected by 20% to 50%” (China's Electoral System, n.d.). In a direct election, to make the election valid, more than 50% of the eligible voters in the district must cast vote. The candidate who get majority of the vote is elected. Whereas in case of indirect election, the candidate who gets majority of the votes of the deputies, win the election. Electoral System in USA There are two elections in USA: primary and general. The primary elections are held before the general elections to determine the candidates to the party taking part in the general elections. In few states the candidates are chosen by local or state nominations rather than by primary election. After primary general elections are held to determine who will be holding the office. In the general election the voters finally decide from the candidates listed in the ballot, who is going to hold the office. The ballot may contain the names of some candidates who are not under any party. They gain access to the ballot by submitting the specific number of petition signatures. Some candidates can also take part in the election other than the above two. They are called self nominated and if they win the election, they hold public office. In US ballots are not only used for just choosing candidates but also the questions of public procedures may also be decided by placing a ballot for approval or disapproval (USA ELECTIONS in Brief, n.d., pp. 4-6). Presidential Election The citizen of USA votes for their president indirectly. The American citizen elects the delegate through ballots or voting machines. These delegates either represent the Republican or Democratic Party. If one candidate gets majority of the votes then he becomes the electoral delegate. All the electoral delegates constitute the Electoral College. About 538 electoral delegates will vote in the presidential election. The electoral delegates will meet among themselves in their state capitals and will cast their votes for election of president and vice president (Beul & Michel, n.d., p. 4). Conclusion Electoral systems are treated as external determinants of political party systems, yet the hypothetical understanding remains limited (Benoit, 2004, p. 363). The electoral system is different for different countries yet special in its own way. The electoral system plays an important role in the development of a country and citizens are the only authority to decide that. REFERENCES 1. Menocal, A.R. (n. d.). Why electoral systems matter: an analysis of their incentives and effects on key areas of governance, retrieved on January 4, 2013 from http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/7367.pdf 2. China’s Political system, (n.d.). retrieved on January 4, 2013 from http://www.china.org.cn/english/Political/26325.htm 3. China's Electoral System, n.d. retrieved on January 4, 2013 from http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/about/2007-11/20/content_1373251.htm 4. USA ELECTIONS in Brief, (n.d.), retrieved on January 4, 2013 from http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/30145/publications-english/USA_Elections_InBrief.pdf 5. Beul, C. & Michel, J.N. (n.d.). U.S. Electoral System, retrieved on January 4, 2013 from http://cbits.kilu.de/englisch/us%20electoral%20system.pdf 6. Benoit, K. (2004). Models of electoral system change. Electoral Studies, 23, pp. 363-389 Read More