POLI 212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: United Kingdom European Communities Membership Referendum, 1975, Rrs Sir David Attenborough, Political Question
29 Mar 2017
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Elections are calculations for political parties (calculating who holds political power) Different formulas shape political behaviour, strategies, policies and individuals who will go into politics. In liberal democracies, one person has one vote. But different electoral systems might give them more than one choice. Overall turnout is perhaps the most important calculation. All western democracies has seen a deterioration in turnout rates. But less so in europe than usa and canada. Single member plurality (smp) and proportional representation (pr) Commonality: party winning the most seats leads government. % of total parliamentary seats should equal % of vote that the party obtained in election. House of commons: 650 seats corresponding to constituency/strict/riding. 650 separate elections on voting day, held together by political party branding and campaigns. Winner receives the most votes within their district (plurality) National election won by party with the most seats.
