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Where and why have proportional electoral systems been used since 1997? - Edexcel - A-Level Politics - Question 3 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 3
Where and why have proportional electoral systems been used since 1997?
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Where and why have proportional electoral systems been used since 1997? - Edexcel - A-Level Politics - Question 3 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Where have proportional electoral systems been used since 1997?
Answer
Proportional electoral systems have been implemented in various elections since 1997, including:
- Elections to the European Parliament
- Elections to the Scottish Parliament
- Elections to the Welsh Assembly
- Elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly
- Elections for the Police Commissioners
Step 2
Why have proportional electoral systems been used since 1997?
Answer
Proportional systems have been adopted to address several key objectives:
- Encouraging Voter Participation: One of the aims has been to encourage more citizens to engage in the voting process.
- Ensuring Fair Representation: They aim to create a fair and representative electoral outcome that better reflects the preferences of voters.
- Power Sharing in Northern Ireland: In Northern Ireland, the power-sharing executive requires a system that can accommodate diverse political views, hence the choice of STV (Single Transferable Vote) to ensure effective governance.
- Comparison to FPTP: There has also been an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of proportional systems compared to the First Past the Post (FPTP) system used in Westminster elections.
- Aligning with EU Standards: For elections related to the EU, the adoption of proportional systems was aimed at aligning the UK's electoral framework with that of other EU members.