Electoral Systems, Edexcel A-Level Government and Politics
Index
Page 1-5: Content
Page 5-6: Case Studies
Page 6-6: Past Paper Questions
Content
Reasons for holding an election:
▪ To hold current government and MPs to account
▪ To choose a new government or elected representative
▪ To limit the power of government by ensuring accountability
▪ To give a mandate to the manifesto of winning party
▪ To encourage political participation
Type of Systems:
Majoritarian Systems- require the winning candidate to win a simple majority (50% + 1), for example,
the SV voting system used in the UK for electing Mayors and Police and crime Commissioners
Plurality Systems- require winning candidates to gain more votes than any other participants, for
example, the FPTP used in England
Proportional Systems- number of seats gained is roughly proportional to percentage of votes gained,
for example, the AMS system used in Wales and Scotland and the STV system used in Northern
Ireland
First-Past-the-Post (FPTP):
How it works:
1. The UK is split into 650 constituencies (around 73,393 citizens with each one as of January 2025)
2. Each constituency is represented by a single MP.
, 3. Within elections, voters have one vote for their favoured MP.
4. The person with the most votes wins that constituency.
5. The party holding the most constituency seats (majority/326 out of 650) is invited to form a
government
Advantages of FPTP:
▪ Simple System, encouraging higher turnout and decreasing political apathy thus increasing the
legitimacy of the resulting government
▪ Creates a strong majority government, giving the party a mandate for its manifesto and the
ability to easily pass legislation
▪ Single member constituency means local areas have a representative that can be held
accountable.
▪ Through creating a two-party system, extremist parties are kept out of government.
▪ Quick System, allowing the government to quickly carry on with duty whilst saving funding
money.
Disadvantages of FPTP:
▪ Simple System, results in wasted votes due to winner's bonus suggesting the system and
government lacks legitimacy.
▪ Due to the creation of a two-party system, many people vote for the candidates standing for
their favoured party rather than best representative for their constituency.
▪ Tactical voting, voters encouraged to vote for the ‘least bad’ of two main parties rather than
preferred party.
▪ Safe Seats, means the value of individual vote is reduced, which contradicts Democracy.
Additional Member System (AMS):
How does it work?
1. Voter casts two separate votes. One for an MSP or MS to stand for their constituency. A second
for a party to stand for their region.
2. Scotland divided into 73 constituencies. Wales divided into 40. Constituency MSPs elected
using the FPTP system.
3. Second vote used to elect regional MSPs in eight large regions in Scotland and 5 regions in
Wales. Used with the d’Hondt formula. This takes the results of the constituency elections, and
the votes cast in region to distribute remaining seats to parties more proportionally.
(IMPORTANT TO NOTE: you don’t need to know how to explain the d’Hondt formula for your
exams as of 2025, however it is useful to have a basic understanding)
Advantages of AMS:
Index
Page 1-5: Content
Page 5-6: Case Studies
Page 6-6: Past Paper Questions
Content
Reasons for holding an election:
▪ To hold current government and MPs to account
▪ To choose a new government or elected representative
▪ To limit the power of government by ensuring accountability
▪ To give a mandate to the manifesto of winning party
▪ To encourage political participation
Type of Systems:
Majoritarian Systems- require the winning candidate to win a simple majority (50% + 1), for example,
the SV voting system used in the UK for electing Mayors and Police and crime Commissioners
Plurality Systems- require winning candidates to gain more votes than any other participants, for
example, the FPTP used in England
Proportional Systems- number of seats gained is roughly proportional to percentage of votes gained,
for example, the AMS system used in Wales and Scotland and the STV system used in Northern
Ireland
First-Past-the-Post (FPTP):
How it works:
1. The UK is split into 650 constituencies (around 73,393 citizens with each one as of January 2025)
2. Each constituency is represented by a single MP.
, 3. Within elections, voters have one vote for their favoured MP.
4. The person with the most votes wins that constituency.
5. The party holding the most constituency seats (majority/326 out of 650) is invited to form a
government
Advantages of FPTP:
▪ Simple System, encouraging higher turnout and decreasing political apathy thus increasing the
legitimacy of the resulting government
▪ Creates a strong majority government, giving the party a mandate for its manifesto and the
ability to easily pass legislation
▪ Single member constituency means local areas have a representative that can be held
accountable.
▪ Through creating a two-party system, extremist parties are kept out of government.
▪ Quick System, allowing the government to quickly carry on with duty whilst saving funding
money.
Disadvantages of FPTP:
▪ Simple System, results in wasted votes due to winner's bonus suggesting the system and
government lacks legitimacy.
▪ Due to the creation of a two-party system, many people vote for the candidates standing for
their favoured party rather than best representative for their constituency.
▪ Tactical voting, voters encouraged to vote for the ‘least bad’ of two main parties rather than
preferred party.
▪ Safe Seats, means the value of individual vote is reduced, which contradicts Democracy.
Additional Member System (AMS):
How does it work?
1. Voter casts two separate votes. One for an MSP or MS to stand for their constituency. A second
for a party to stand for their region.
2. Scotland divided into 73 constituencies. Wales divided into 40. Constituency MSPs elected
using the FPTP system.
3. Second vote used to elect regional MSPs in eight large regions in Scotland and 5 regions in
Wales. Used with the d’Hondt formula. This takes the results of the constituency elections, and
the votes cast in region to distribute remaining seats to parties more proportionally.
(IMPORTANT TO NOTE: you don’t need to know how to explain the d’Hondt formula for your
exams as of 2025, however it is useful to have a basic understanding)
Advantages of AMS:
