Lesson Starter Explain, in two sentences or less, the difference between PLURALITY electoral systems and PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION electoral systems.

Lesson 2: Voting Systems – The First Past the Post Electoral System Learning Intentions (Pupils should be able to): Describe the way in which the First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system works. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the First Past the Post electoral system.

The way in which the First Past the Post electoral system operates The FPTP electoral system is reasonably easy and straightforward to understand. For the purposes of the election, the UK is divided up into 650 constituencies or areas. In each area, the person with the most votes wins. At the 2010 General Election, Gemma Doyle got more votes than any other candidate in the West Dumbartonshire constituency so she became the MP. Note: the winner does not need a majority of the votes, only one more than the next highest candidate. As well as electing an MP to represent them in their area, at a General Election voters also taking part in choosing the government. After all the constituency results are counted, the party with the most MPs forms the government. Read the question very carefully since the examining team are looking to make the question look slightly different although it is examining the same general area. If you have a good understanding of this topic then your should be able to apply that understanding to whatever way the question is worded. You can lose a lot of marks by answering the question you want to answer and have revised rather than the actual question set.

The Kilmarnock and Loudoun seat was won by a clear margin in June 2017 – over 6000 votes more than the 2nd place candidate. However the overall results do highlight a shift – the SNP candidate lost 13.3% of the vote share in comparison to the previous General Election. As FPTP is a plurality system, winner take all no matter the overall circumstances. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40176349

In comparison, the Kensington seat, in London, was one of the most fiercely contested seats at the June 2017 election. The eventual winner had a majority of just 20 votes. This result was so contentious that the votes were officially recounted at the request of the Conservative candidate.

Result of 2010 UK General Election The Conservatives were most popular party in 2010 with 39% of vote which gave them 47% of the seats. This was a little short for a majority government . Labour attracted 31% and won 40% of seats. The Liberal Democrats came third with 25% of vote but won only 9% of seats. The first ever Green Party MP was elected in 2010.

Strengths of the First Past the Post electoral system 1. FPTP is familiar and gives a speedy result. 2. There is a clear voter-representative link. The one person elected becomes the spokesperson for that constituency. That person is readily identified with their area and if they do a poor job they will be removed by their constituents. 3. There is usually a decisive result*. After a General Elections one party gets more MPs than all the others put together. For example, in the 2005 election Labour won 35% of the vote but had 55% of the MPs. Majority governments can usually have five years to implement the policies in their manifesto. Some people see majority (or strong) government as a strength of FPTP. *Note: The 2010 & 2017 General Elections were unusual in that they did not produce majority governments.

Weaknesses of the First Past the Post electoral system No individual mandate. After the election most voters are left unhappy as usually, the MP/winning party are elected with less than half the votes e.g. Jim McGovern got 48.5% of the vote so most people in Dundee West wanted other candidates and in 2005, the Labour Government got only 35% of the vote but secured 55% of the MPs. 2. Smaller parties do not gain fair representation. Slide four shows than in 2010 the Liberal Democrats got 25% of the vote but secured on 9% of the MPs. 3. Many votes are ‘wasted’. Many voters do not see the point in voting in a constituency where a candidate from the Conservative or Labour Party is almost certainly going to win. 4. It is argued that the FPTP electoral system encourages negative tactical voting where constituents vote against candidates they dislike, rather than for those they support.

Result of 2017 UK General Election Using the links to the BBC webpages below (and on the blog!) create a SUMMARY of the 2017 General Election. Include the following information: Number of Seats for large parties Vote Share changes Significant issues during the campaign Overall outcome of the election General Election Results 2017 The 2017 election in maps

Voting Systems in the UK Questions Describe, using examples from recent elections, the way in which the First Past the Post electoral system works. Give three strengths of the FPTP electoral system. Provide two statistical examples to improve your answer. Give three weaknesses of the FPTP electoral system. Provide two statistical examples to improve your answer.

Creating an Essay Paragraph Higher Modern Studies Paper 2017

Evaluate Essays Asking you to make a judgement about how good or bad something is. Read the question carefully… This question is asking you to evaluate ONE electoral system only. Looking at effectiveness in relation to representation of the voters.

Creating an Evaluate Essay Paragraph K – why this voting system does provides fair representation E – evaluate your point positively K –further knowledge on the system E – evaluate positively again.

First Past the Post is a plurality system used to elect UK MPs First Past the Post is a plurality system used to elect UK MPs. It is a winner takes all system in which the candidate with the most votes wins the parliamentary seat; the party which has the highest number of MPs following the election will form the government. For example in 2015 the Conservative Party formed a majority government at Westminster with 331 seats (K). Majority governments are considered effective as they have a mandate to carry out their manifesto promises. Many people suggest that a majority government is a strong government as the party will usually have a full parliamentary term to carry out its work. (E) Many people and businesses believe that FPTP is a fair system of voting as having only one party in charge which will mean more economic and political stability as the Government does not have to rely on the support of other parties to pass legislation. (K) This political and economic stability is good for our economy and jobs as companies are more likely to invest in countries that are stable. This suggests fair representation of the people is achieved through FPTP as it is one of the key jobs of any government to provide economic and political stability such as the Labour Party government between 1997-2010. (E)

Essay Structure Introduction Answer in 1 or 2 sentences – no marks! Middle Section (main body) Follow a KEKE format for each paragraph - 3 paragraphs will suffice. Conclusion Concluding comment – short and sweet, one/two sentences to sum up!