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Explain the importance of democracy
Explain the importance of democracy
Importance of democracy
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Proportional representation system is better than the plurality system and I believe it could change the United States of America for the better. In America we live in a modern-day democracy. And in a modern-day democracy everyone’s voice should be heard. I truly believe a competitive multiparty system would give Americans exactly what they want, a greater variety of choices in the polls. The goal should be to encourage higher level voting and help people find someone they can support. My belief for a democracy is to elect those who can bring worthy change to their community but not in a system where votes only count for 50 to 60 per cent in most U.S. elections.
The power should be put in the voter’s hands and with that I agree with the resolution that proportional representation is a better principle on which to organize an electoral system than is plurality. In a debate I would present an argument for this side and I strongly stand by it. If we want to be governed by democracy, why not give everyone a realistic chance? I’m pretty sure the green party in America can speak on this behalf. In a winner takes all set up voters get discouraged. A plurality system is not the best to use because it doesn’t allow all voters to express their
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The plurality system contains single member districts which means your voting for one representative. Whereas in the P.R. system, which is based of multimember districts, several people can be selected at one time. Why? Because the districts are larger. The reason this is important is because one member can’t dictate what a district representation would be. Unlike in our current election system where if a Democrat is in a predominantly Republican district or a Republican is in a Democratic one would be shut out. Its one thing to be able to vote equally but not having the right to be equally represented is the major
A proportionate electoral system (otherwise known as proportional representation or PR) grants its voters a voice in their vote. The way that the PR system works is that for every percentage of votes a party receives, they will be granted around the same percentage of seats in parliament. For example, if a party receives 35% of the votes, they would receive 35% of the seats in legislature. This is important for Canada because it gives smaller parties a better chance of retaining a seat. There are many different varieties of PR, due to the fact that at often times, the voting percentages do not evenly translate into the number of seats available (King, 2000). For instance, if a party receive 33.6% of the vote, they can’ receive 33.6% of seats. Because of this, numerous variations of the PR system have been created. The most common...
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 ...
...ment plays an important role in determining the relationship between its politicians and electorates. It also “[calculates] how votes are translated into seats of political power... it... also affects the party system, political culture, the formation of government and the structure of the executive” (Trac 5). Most importantly, candidates in an SMP system can be elected with minimal amounts of public support as they do not require a majority of the votes. To be elected to the legislature in the PR system, a candidate must have “at least 3% of the party vote across the province” (Ontario Citizens' Assembly 3). In contrast to the SMP system, the PR system better represents the views of the citizens, supports a stable and effective government, and is a simple yet practical voting system. It successfully caters to the needs of the voters, unlike the traditional system.
Some people believe the Electoral College system weakens the fundamental principle of a representative government- that one person should have one vote. If we switch to a popular vote, people will have a greater amount of saying than before. The candidates will have a better chance to get
The issue of electoral reform has become more important than ever in Canada in recent years as the general public has come to realize that our current first-past-the-post, winner-take-all system, formally known as single-member plurality (SMP) has produced majority governments of questionable legitimacy. Of the major democracies in the world, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom are the only countries that still have SMP systems in place. Interestingly enough, there has been enormous political tension and division in the last few years in these countries, culminating with the election results in Canada and the USA this year that polarized both countries. In the last year we have seen unprecedented progress towards electoral reform, with PEI establishing an electoral reform commissioner and New Brunswick appointing a nine-member Commission on Legislative Democracy in December 2003 to the groundbreaking decision by the British Columbia Citizen’s Assembly on October 24, 2004 that the province will have a referendum on May 17, 2005 to decide whether or not they will switch to a system of proportional representation. This kind of reform is only expected to continue, as Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty decided to take BC’s lead and form an independent Citizen’s Assembly with the power to determine whether or not Ontario will have a referendum regarding a change to a more proportional system. There is still much work to do however, and we will examine the inherent problems with Canada’s first-past-the-post system and why we should move into the 21st century and switch to a form of proportional representation.
Well, It is clear that a system of delegation such as the Electoral College is needed. However, perhaps the Electoral College isn’t the way to go. Or maybe the Electoral College could be improved upon. It certainly has its problems but ultimately the U.S is better off with it. It allows for the minority interests to be herd. It contributes to the more even cohesiveness of the country by utilizing a distribution of popular support to be elected president. The biggest problem is that Americans think that issues have simple answers such as “Should we keep the electoral college?” When in reality, it is almost never a simple yes or no question. That is one of the reasons the Electoral College exists. It will continue to be needed until the average American can understand these issues, get involved, and make reasonable choices about its
Voters in states like Idaho wouldn’t benefit from this. There are once other problems when comes to gerrymandering. While candidate of the majority party has the advantage, it doesn’t allow for a third party candidate to have as much as a chance. Voters of smaller party will be spilt up between the districts and it becomes difficult for a candidate to elected they favor thus making it hard to a third party to become represented in
Democracy is defined as government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system (Democracy, n.d.). Canadians generally pride themselves in being able to call this democratic nation home, however is our electoral system reflective of this belief? Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy that has been adopted from the British system. Few amendments have been made since its creation, which has left our modern nation with an archaic system that fails to represent the opinions of citizens. Canada’s current “first-past-the-post” (FPTP) system continues to elect “false majorities” which are not representative of the actual percentage of votes cast. Upon closer examination of the current system, it appears that there are a number of discrepancies between our electoral system and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Other nations provide Canada with excellent examples of electoral systems that more accurately represent the opinions of voters, such as proportional representation. This is a system of voting that allocates seats to a political party based on the percentage of votes cast for that party nationwide. Canada’s current system of voting is undemocratic because it fails to accurately translate the percentage of votes cast to the number of seats won by each party, therefore we should adopt a mixed member proportional representation system to ensure our elections remain democratic.
The single-member district election system is the most common and best-known electoral system currently in use in America. It is used to elect the U.S. House Representatives, as well as many state and local legislatures. Under single member district systems, an area is divided into a number of geographically defined voting districts, each represented by a single elected official. Voters can only vote for their district’s representative, with the individual receiving the most votes winning election. This method of electing representatives is better than any alternative solution in various ways. Four compelling reasons to support the single-member district election system include the fact that single-member districts give each voter a single, easily identifiable district member; the way single-member district voting helps protect against overreaching party influence; that single-member districts ensure geographic representation; and finally, that single-member districts are the best way to maximize representatives’ accountability.
...lity of the votes (Shugart 632). Each states would be important under such a system, as candidates would be forced to address as many voters as possible, not just "voting blocs" that could swing a plurality in the state and, therefore, the entire state. More people would participate in elections because they would know that every vote did indeed count.
...ates would be wary of passing any amendment that would be disadvantageous to their respective states. However, this is a hurdle that we must cross in order to maintain legitimacy in our political system. A platform of “A Vote For Every American” should pass the lips of every elected official until this problem is rectified. Americans must work together to solve this problem, allowing a new and better system to give way for a fair and just system of electing the next United States’ President.
In contrast with FPTP, PR is the concept which is completely different from several electoral systems. It is a new method of voting system where the results of an election depend on the proportion of votes gained by each competing party. The basic idea of this system is that more competing parties, more and better decisions they make.
...id of the two party system is that the American people would be less likely to vote because there would be a lot more people on the ballot and it wouldn’t be as easy as it is now, where most people just go in and look for the little ‘R’ or the little ‘D’. However as the gallup poll has shown the people seem to want more people on the ballot since they want to see more independents in the running.
...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.
Voting is the easiest and simplest way of public participation, as well as making the voters feel like they are directly involved in the process. Certain aspects, such as the Electoral College, eliminate this feeling of involvement. The best way for elections to work would be a nationwide popular vote. This would bring a meaning to the term “true democracy” and will get the people, as a whole, the chance to participate in electing the highest officials.