Checklist - what you need to know about this topic

> The meaning of ‘democracy’.

> The extent of democracy in the UK.

> The functions of elections.

> The types of election in the UK.

> The electoral systems in use in the UK.

> The key features of the ‘first-past-the-post’ electoral system.

> The advantages and disadvantages of FPTP.

> The main alternatives to FPTP.

> The debate on electoral reform in the UK.

> The arguments for and against the use of referendums.

Definitions

1 - liberal democracy
2 - mandate
3 - manifesto
4 - representation
5 - representative (noun)
6 - representative (adjective)
7 - simple plurality system
8 - majoritarian system
9 - proportional representation system
10 - single-member constituency
11 - safe seat
12 - marginal seat
13 - ‘wasted vote’
14 - electoral desert
15 - alternative vote
16 - supplementary vote
17 - preferential voting
18 - second ballot
19 - list system
20 - mixed system
21 - hybrid system
22 - added member system
23 - alternative vote plus
24 - single transferable vote
25 - coalition government
26 - minority government

Short questions

All answers should be up to 100 words, unles otherwise stated:

1 - What is democracy?

2 - What is ‘direct democracy’?

3 - What is ‘representative democracy’?

4 - To what extent is the UK a democracy? (150 words)

5 - What are the main functions of elections?

6 - Outline the different types of election that take place in the UK.

7 - ‘The doctrine of the mandate is rather slippery’. Discuss. (200 words)

8 - What are the main criticisms of elections in the UK?

9 - ‘Elections promote democracy’. Discuss. (200 words)

10 - What is a referendum?

11 - Should there be more, or fewer, or no referendums in the UK? (200 words)

Questions using the text book and your own knowledge

1 - What are the main arguments for reforming the present electoral system for the House of Commons?

2 - What arguments are used to retain the present Westminster electoral system?

3 -Why might some political parties oppose any change to the electoral system for the House of Commons?

4 - How far do you agree that electoral systems based on proportional representation inevitably produce weak governments?

5 - To what extent do you agree that proportional representation systems produce results which reflect patterns of voting more accurately than the FPTP system?

6 - Explain why the electoral system used for the Scottish parliament produces different outcomes than the system used for general elections to the UK Parliament.