Electoral Systems AND Voting behaviour DO NOW Read through the sample student response to the question with a maximum value of 25 marks. Use the mark scheme on the back of the essay to give it a mark for each assessment objective (and overall). What one thing would you do in order to improve this student’s overall grade?

‘Experiments in the use of a range of voting systems other than FPTP in the UK since 1997 have done more harm than good.’ Discuss. (25) In terms of proportionality, the systems introduced in 1997 have been a total success. The Scottish Socialists and the Greens have been able to win seats in the Scottish Parliament under AMS and the Greens have also taken two seats in the European Parliament in 1999, 2004 and 2009. Outcomes under STV have also been more proportional. Some would argue that coalition government in Scotland (1999-2007), in Wales for a time and in Northern Ireland has been a bad thing—but the people do not appeared to have suffered under multi-party government. Indeed, Scottish students are probably better off as they don’t have top up fees. One of the biggest problems with the systems that Labour brought in after 1997 was that of representation. Scottish people now use a total of four different electoral systems across various elections: FPTP for general elections; AMS in elections to the Scottish Parliament; party lists in elections to the European Parliament; and STV in local elections. This has resulted in chaos—witness the 10,000 spoilt ballots in the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections. The other problem is the West Lothian question. How can it be fair that Scottish MPs at Westminster can vote on issues that affect only England and Wales? Why should we end up with top-up fees because Scottish Labour MPs voted in favour? Worse still, why should English taxpayers continue to subsidise the Scots to the tune of £2,000 per head when they have their own parliament with tax-varying powers north of the border? 252 words

Our mark scheme – 25 marks L Descriptor AO1 AO2 AO3 Total 4 “Excellent” 10-11 7-8 5-6 22-25 3 “Good” 7-9 3-4 16-19 2 “Limited” 4-6 9-12 1 “Basic” 1-3 1-2 3-6 “No relevant response” Spend seven minutes re-drafting the answer so that it achieves at least 16 marks.

Our mark scheme – 25 marks L Descriptor AO1 AO2 AO3 Total 4 “Excellent” 10-11 7-8 5-6 22-25 3 “Good” 7-9 3-4 16-19 2 “Limited” 4-6 9-12 1 “Basic” 1-3 1-2 3-6 “No relevant response”

‘Experiments in the use of a range of voting systems other than FPTP in the UK since 1997 have done more harm than good.’ Discuss. (25) The additional member system has arguably produced more proportional outcomes and more accountable representatives than FPTP. AMS preserves the strong link between constituency voters and their representatives that is the hallmark of British democracy while being significantly more proportional than FPTP. AMS has helped the Scottish and and Welsh parliaments to aviod being dominated by one or two parties in the way that the Conservatives and Labour dominate Westminster. Parties with a significant share of the popular vote, such as the Greens in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales, have been more fairly represented in both legislatures than have smaller parties in Westminster. Some would argue that this has occurred at the expense of stable government, citing the examples of coalition government in Scotland until 2007 and Wales until 2011. However, this is a weak argument. Voters in those countries have arguably benefited from better policy making than voters in the rest of the UK: Scots have avoided unpopular university top-up fees and Welsh voters have enjoyed higher levels of spending per capita on public services—both as a result of the greater accountability of their representatives. Meanwhile, FPTP did not produce strong single-party government in Westminster in 2010 and produced only a narrow Conservative majority in 2015.

Part 2 One of the biggest problems with the systems that Labour brought in after 1997 was that of representation. Scottish people now use a total of four different electoral systems across various elections: FPTP for general elections; AMS in elections to the Scottish Parliament; party lists in elections to the European Parliament; and STV in local elections. This has resulted in chaos—witness the 10,000 spoilt ballots in the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections. The other problem is the West Lothian question. How can it be fair that Scottish MPs at Westminster can vote on issues that affect only England and Wales? Why should we end up with top-up fees because Scottish Labour MPs voted in favour? Worse still, why should English taxpayers continue to subsidise the Scots to the tune of £2,000 per head when they have their own parliament with tax-varying powers north of the border?

Learning activities What to do: Pick a question from the list I am about to show you. Working independently, devise three points and counter-points you could make in order to answer the question fully. When you have your three points—and only then—you may consult the textbooks and any other resources in order to substantiate your points.

Electoral systems ‘First-Past-the-Post is still the only electoral system that can be relied on to ensure stable government in the UK.’ Discuss. ‘The additional member system should be the standard system for electing democratic representatives throughout the UK.’ Discuss. ‘The First-Past-the-Post system used in elections to the Westminster Parliament should be replaced with a more proportional system.’ Discuss. ‘The UK is increasingly a participatory rather than a representative democracy.’ Discuss. ‘Referendums are the device of demagogues and dictators.’ Discuss.

Participation and voting behaviour ‘The election campaign is now more important than long-term factors in shaping voting behaviour.’ Discuss. ‘The media influences voting behaviour more than long-term factors such as class and gender.’ Discuss. ‘Region is now the most important factor in shaping voting behaviour.’ Discuss. ‘Social class is still the best predictor of voting behaviour.’ Discuss.

Electoral systems ‘The case for retaining the First-Past-the-Post system for use at UK general elections is overwhelming.’ Discuss. ‘The UK would benefit greatly from the wider use of referendums.’ Discuss. ‘The first-past-the-post system used in elections to the Westminster Parliament should be replaced with a more proportional system.’ Discuss. ‘There is no such thing as a perfect electoral system.’ Discuss. ‘The wider use of referendums would pose a threat to the form of representative democracy traditionally practised in the UK.’ Discuss.

Participation and voting behaviour ‘There is no participation crisis in the UK.’ Discuss. ‘Stability, rather than volatility, now characterises voting behaviour at UK general elections.’ Discuss. ‘Voting behaviour at UK elections is determined more by issues of personality and image than on the basis of policies or performance in office.’ Discuss. ‘The election campaign is now more important than long-term factors in shaping voting behaviour.’ Discuss. ‘Low levels of turnout at recent general elections to the Westminster Parliament result from political apathy alone.’ Discuss.