Electoral systems are one of the primary and fundamental institutions of political systems. Many of the existing types of electoral systems can seriously render an influence on every field of state policy beginning with wealth care and finishing with defence systems. In this case, choosing between the types of electoral systems is substantial through the lens of two key yardsticks: representation of all peoples’ demands as well as stability and sustainability of polity. Due to there being the many types of electoral systems, this essay will solely consider two main types, namely, a single member majoritarian system (SMMS or the majoritarian system, where voters have to choose just one candidate for one parliamentary position) and a proportional representation system (PRS, where voters have to choose a party for the whole parliament instead of candidates). These systems were chosen because of the overwhelming number of countries in which they are utilized. In particular, the majoritarian system is used in 83 out of 150 countries and the proportional representation system is used in 57 out of 150 countries (Norris 1997, p. 2). According to Enid Lakeman, one of the particularly significant goals of electoral systems is representativeness, which purports the reflection of the main trends of electorate’s views in parliament in conjunction with the exercise of power in accordance with electorate’s demands in government (Lakeman, 1974 cited in O’Neal 1993, p. 12). In this respect, the majoritarian system offers several benefits, such as, the representation of majority in a parliament and their opinion, and also a direct connection between members of a parliament and voters. It can be seen that this case might satisfy elective body ina... ... middle of paper ... ...Democracy in plural societies: A comparative exploration. New Haven: Yale University Press. Norris, P. (1997). “Choosing Electoral Systems: Proportional, Majoritarian and Mixed Systems”, Contrasting Political Institutions special issue of the International Political Science Review, 18(3), 297-312. Research Branch of the Library of Parliament of Canada. O'Neal, B. (1993). “Electoral systems” [Background Paper], Ottawa, Canada: Research Branch of the Library of Parliament of Canada. Parliament of Canada. (2014). Majority Supporting the Government. http://www.parl.gc.ca/procedure-book-livre/Document.aspx?Language=E&Mode= 1&sbdid=A24E8688-CC45-4245-8F5C-DD32F4AA9B01&sbpid=040856E0-D15F-48AD-BAB4-7712C0E7976A, accessed 2014, January 21. Powell, G.B. Jr., (1982). Contemporary Democracies:Participation, Stability and Violence. Cambridge MA.: Harvard University Press.
The United States of America was built on the fundamental principles of democracy. Democracy is government by the people for the people. The people have opinions about government that are expressed mainly through voting. It is common knowledge that anyone of age can choose to vote. **** There are many issues in the election system of the United States. Some issues include, the absence of a defined right to vote in the Constitution, the American ballots, the Electoral College, the cost of being a politician, and the electronic voting systems in use today. In this paper I will address problems in the electoral system and my opinion on various solutions.
In this essay I will argue that British General Elections should be conducted using a system of Proportional Representation. First, I will argue that the system would be more democratic as every vote that is cast would be represented and this ...
For a democratic country to thrive, they must have a proper electoral system in producing the party to oversee our government. Since its inception in 1867, Canada has been using the first past the post system during elections to decide their leading party. Although we have been using this system for an extended duration of time, the FPTP system is flawed and should be changed. The goal of this paper is to prove the effectiveness of shifting to more of a proportional system, while also exposing the ineptness of Canada’s current system. With other methods advancing and little change of the first past the post system, this system is becoming predated. A variation of the proportional electoral system is key because it empowers voters, increases voter turnout, and creates a more diverse environment. Canada should adopt a more proportionate electoral system at the federal level if we wish to expand democracy.
Debating which constitutional form of government best serves democratic nations is discussed by political scientist Juan Linz in his essay “The Perils of Presidentialism”. Linz compares parliamentary systems with presidential systems as they govern democracies. As the title of Linz’s essay implies, he sees Presidentialism as potentially dangerous. Linz points out the flaws as presidentialism as he sees them and sites rigidity of fixed terms, the zero-sum game and political legitimacy coupled with lack of incentive to form alliances as issues to support his theory that the parliamentary system is superior to presidentialism.
However, the proposed systems must be thoroughly examined for their compatibility with Canada’s needs and their ability to resolve the issues outlined in this paper. From distortion in representation to Western alienation and to making the voices of minorities heard, the new system must also ensure that Parliament fulfills its role in representing, legislating, and holding the government. More importantly, after the current government abandoned its promise on electoral reform, it is important for researchers and future governments to build on the knowledge acquired by the Special Committee on Electoral Reform as well as previous experiences of the provinces with electoral
Greater levels of congruence between government and voters results in not only a democratic government, but also reflects the idea that voting is a meaningful process driven by voters as opposed to a random unknown outcome (POLI 463, Lecture 4). Congruence affects voting patterns, as citizens will seek to feel represented by their government and will adjust their voting patterns based on this. Moreover, performance of a democracy is affected, as government is held accountable in remaining congruent with the general public.
Singh, S., & Judd, T. (2013). Compulsory Voting and the Dynamics of Partisan Identification. European Journal of Political research, 52(2), 188-211. Retrieved from http://journals1.scholarsportal.info.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/details.xqy?uri=/03044130/v52i0002/188_cvatdopi.xml
Since party politics began in Canada, the style in which leaders are elected is comparable to a horse race. Using the single member plurality (SMP), more commonly referred to as “first past the post,” method of seat allocation in both the House of Commons and each province's Legislative Assembly, whoever gets the most votes is asked to form the government; this only takes into accounts the number of seats a party wins, not the overall popular vote. In a political system not limited to two parties, like the United States, many times over 50% of Canadians do not want the party that won, to win. In this current electoral system, votes are wasted, smaller parties are terribly misrepresented and, in some cases, a party with a lower percent of the vote has come into power. Already, three provinces have attempted to vote on electoral reform; however, the vote did not pass in any of them. British Columbia (BC) and Prince Edward Island (PEI) both held their first referendum on the subject in 2005, BC's second referendum was held in 2009. Also, Ontario held their referendum in 2007. Because none of the referendums passed, it is clear that Canadians are not quite ready for electoral reform. Regardless, it is evident that a spark has ignited in the brains of citizens nation-wide; with recurring evidence that suggests the current electoral system horribly represents the majority of Canadian citizens, the public is beginning to realize that there is something terribly wrong.
...lso speaks of the instances where the system had failed to accurately represent the national popular will’s vote and goes into depth about each instance. Obviously this article is against the Electoral College and it gives many points in support of the anti-electoral college supporters. In conclusion of his article he does mention that this voting system has worked well throughout the years, but believes that it is not necessary because of the reasons that the Electoral College was established is no longer an issue in today’s world. So therefore the voting system is outdated. My use for this article in my research regarding the Electoral College debate will strengthen my argument against the Electoral College. It will be useful because of the in-depth explanations of each instance in which the current voting system failed to represent the national popular will.
Karp, J. A. (2006). Political knowledge about electoral rules: Comparing mixed member proportional systems in Germany and New Zealand. Electoral Studies, 25(4), 714-730.
Britain is considering changing current first past the post voting system (FPTP) to proportional representation (PR). The main reason is that FPTP is “quasi-democratic” voting system under which there is only one majority party ruling the government and it does not represent wishes of all voters as some votes are wasted. Whereas, PR seems to be the best alternative voting system with proportionality of seats in mandatory places, more parties ruling government and etc. Let us look at these two voting systems and analyze whether PR is suitable and alternative change for FPTP and do advantages of PR outweigh disadvantages.
Most democratic countries have a multi-party system where many different ideologies are represented in government. Multi-party systems provide a broader representation of the people and give voters more choices at the polls, however, can lead a party to form a coalition, which can dissolve easily causing instability in the government. The United States electo...
Within parliamentary systems, the government i.e. the legislature consist of the political party with the most popularly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) in the main legislative parliament e.g. the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister is appointed by the party to lead as the executive decision-maker, and the legislature work to support and carry out their will (Fish, 2006). In presidential systems, the President is directly elected with the support of their political party, with the legislative being separately elected and, in the case of the United States, being made up of representatives from different states (BIIP, 2004). This essay will provide examples to suggest that Presidents are generally more powerful than Prime Ministers. As two of the oldest forms of parliamentary and presidential governments (Mainwaring and Shugart, 1997), the United Kingdom and the United States will be the main focus of this essay, but other parliamentary and presidential countries will be mentioned.
The concept of parliamentary political system was rooted in 1707 of Great Britain; the word derives from ‘parley’, a discussion. It was used to describe meetings between Henry III and noblemen in the Great Council (Szilagyi, 2009). It was originated in British political system and is often known as the Westminster model as it was used in the Palace of Westminster. It became influential throughout many European nations later in the 18th century (Smith, 2010). Countries with parliamentary systems are either constitutional monarchies such as the United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, and Canada or parliamentary republics such as Greece, India, Ireland and Italy (McTeer, 1995). The parliamentary type of government is known for its three distinctive features; first, executive is divided into the head of state and the head of government, they are independently elected forming a dual executive; second, the fusion of ...
Blais, Andre. "Electoral Insight." CCL Web: Criteria for Assessing Electoral Systems (1999): 1-6. Web. 26 Aug. 2010.