Unit 1 Government, Policies and the Public Services Marcus Chadwick
.Assignment 2
The two main types of elections in the UK one being the general election and the other being local
elections. A general election is when all the seats are available for re-election in the House of
Commons. The general election is usually every 5 years and 3 weeks however can be called at any
time by the Prime Minister and this is called a snap election. Local elections occur around every 4
years
Who can stand for a General Election?
In a general election to stand for an election you must be 21 years and either a British
commonwealth or Republic of Ireland Citizen. You also need to be nominated by at least 10
registered electors in a constituency to stand a chance to be elected for a party. If you are not
authorised by the party you must pay £500 as a deposit as you are classed as an independent
however if you get over 5% of votes you will get this deposit back. You are also not allowed to stand
for election if you are serving over 12 months in prison.
Who can stand for Local Election?
Citizens of the European Union can stand for a local election however if you are already part of a
local authority you are not allowed to stand for an election. If you have bankruptcy problems and a
prisons sentence of 3 months or more you are also not allowed to stand for an election.
Candidate Selection Process
There are candidate selection procedures if you are an independent representative however you
must be edible to stand for office. There are usually more candidates than available seats from that
political party due to the party wanting to fill them. It’s essential that a selection process takes place
as this ensures that the best candidate is selected or the candidate that is most likely to win the seat
is selected. One selection method refers to a list of authorised candidates drawn up by the party
which is then picked by local branch. The list is drawn up in an intense way and is very competitive.
The information of the candidates is shown to the local branch. These will be CV’s, application forms
a background check and aptitude tests to decide who the best candidate is. To make the selection
process easier the local branch of the party can interview the candidate to find the best candidate. A
party will have a list containing only women and ethnic minority groups such as black to ensure
diversity throughout the MPs in the party.
The influence of the party system on elections
The influence of Political parties on the election process is huge as the party in power can choose
when to have a general election. This means they can call a general election any time within the 5
years and because of their power it allows them to gain extra power from seats. However this
recently had repercussion as Theresa May and the Conservative Party ordered a General Election
only 11 months after the first general election with an aim to strengthen her Brexit negotiations with
the public. However the conservative party ended up losing 13 seats which the Labour party gained
massively from. Because of the power that the political party has this also means they have the
funds to support their candidates and give them the publicity they need to help them maintain
power from winning the seat which doesn’t allow any advantage for smaller parties or independent
candidates to win a seat.
Representatives
.Assignment 2
The two main types of elections in the UK one being the general election and the other being local
elections. A general election is when all the seats are available for re-election in the House of
Commons. The general election is usually every 5 years and 3 weeks however can be called at any
time by the Prime Minister and this is called a snap election. Local elections occur around every 4
years
Who can stand for a General Election?
In a general election to stand for an election you must be 21 years and either a British
commonwealth or Republic of Ireland Citizen. You also need to be nominated by at least 10
registered electors in a constituency to stand a chance to be elected for a party. If you are not
authorised by the party you must pay £500 as a deposit as you are classed as an independent
however if you get over 5% of votes you will get this deposit back. You are also not allowed to stand
for election if you are serving over 12 months in prison.
Who can stand for Local Election?
Citizens of the European Union can stand for a local election however if you are already part of a
local authority you are not allowed to stand for an election. If you have bankruptcy problems and a
prisons sentence of 3 months or more you are also not allowed to stand for an election.
Candidate Selection Process
There are candidate selection procedures if you are an independent representative however you
must be edible to stand for office. There are usually more candidates than available seats from that
political party due to the party wanting to fill them. It’s essential that a selection process takes place
as this ensures that the best candidate is selected or the candidate that is most likely to win the seat
is selected. One selection method refers to a list of authorised candidates drawn up by the party
which is then picked by local branch. The list is drawn up in an intense way and is very competitive.
The information of the candidates is shown to the local branch. These will be CV’s, application forms
a background check and aptitude tests to decide who the best candidate is. To make the selection
process easier the local branch of the party can interview the candidate to find the best candidate. A
party will have a list containing only women and ethnic minority groups such as black to ensure
diversity throughout the MPs in the party.
The influence of the party system on elections
The influence of Political parties on the election process is huge as the party in power can choose
when to have a general election. This means they can call a general election any time within the 5
years and because of their power it allows them to gain extra power from seats. However this
recently had repercussion as Theresa May and the Conservative Party ordered a General Election
only 11 months after the first general election with an aim to strengthen her Brexit negotiations with
the public. However the conservative party ended up losing 13 seats which the Labour party gained
massively from. Because of the power that the political party has this also means they have the
funds to support their candidates and give them the publicity they need to help them maintain
power from winning the seat which doesn’t allow any advantage for smaller parties or independent
candidates to win a seat.
Representatives
