Elections
Theories of representation
For each of these theories below, consider their strengths and weaknesses.
Trustee model
Edmund Burke (1774) – ‘..your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his
judgement; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.’
Representation is a moral duty: those with the good fortune to possess education and
understanding should act in the interests of those who are less fortunate. Strong elitist
implications, as it meant that once elected representatives should think for themselves
and exercise independent judgement.
Delegate model
A delegate is expected to act as a conduit conveying the views of others, while having
little or no capacity to exercise his or her own judgement or preference. Eg.
ambassadors
Mandate model
In winning an election, a party gains a popular mandate that authorizes it to carry out
whatever policies or programmes it outlined during the election campaign…the model
provides a clear justification for party unity and party discipline.
Mandate – ‘ an instruction or command from a higher body that demands
compliance. The idea is that it guarantees responsible government in that the party in
power can only act within the mandate it has received.
Resemblance model
The theory that representatives a government would constitute a microcosm of the
larger society (social class / gender / religion / ethnicity etc)
Election statistics from 2005 election
What do these statistics mean?
646
66
59% to 61%
8%: best since
1918
67%: lowest
35.3% = 356
32.3% = 197
128 = highest
5.5 = average
FUNCTIONS OF ELECTIONS
Function
Explanation
Representation
Choosing
government
Participation
Influence over
policy
Govt.
accountability
Education
Legitimacy
Elite recruitment
VOTING SYSTEMS
Majoritarian systems – A system in which larger parties typically win a higher
proportion of seats than the proportion of votes they gain in the election. This
increases the chances of a single party gaining a parliamentary majority and being
able to govern on its own.
Proportional systems – A system which guarantee an equal, or atleast more equal,
relationship between the seats won by parties and the votes they gained in the
election.
Top down or bottom up?
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FPTP
SV
AMS
STV
LIST
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Majoritarian
Proportional
SYSTEMS USED IN THE UK
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