Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• Elections are the main way citizens choose representatives in a representative democracy.
• Referendums are a form of direct democracy because voters decide an issue directly.
• Suffrage means the right to vote.
• Participation means the ways citizens engage in politics, including voting, campaigning, joining parties, signing petitions and taking part in referendums.
• Voting behaviour means how and why people vote the way they do.
• A manifesto is a party's published set of policies and aims before an election.
• A campaign is the effort made by parties and candidates to persuade voters.
• Partisan dealignment means weaker long-term loyalty to one political party, making voters more likely to switch support.
• The UK uses different electoral systems:
• First Past the Post (FPTP) for UK general elections.
• A proportional system is used in devolved elections, such as the Additional Member System (AMS) for the Scottish Parliament and Senedd.
• Majoritarian electoral systems aim to produce strong governments and clear outcomes.
• Example: FPTP.
• Candidate with the most votes wins in each constituency.
• It often produces single-party majority government.
• Proportional electoral systems aim to match seats more closely to votes cast.
• Example: AMS.
• Voters usually cast one vote for a constituency candidate and one for a regional party list.
• This produces a more proportional result than FPTP.
• Advantages of FPTP
• Simple and easy to understand.
• Produces clear outcomes and usually strong governments.
• Creates a clear link between MP and constituency.
• Can keep extremist parties out.
• Disadvantages of FPTP
• Disproportionate results: parties can win many seats without many more votes.
• Smaller parties are often under-represented.
• Many votes are 'wasted'.
• Safe seats can reduce competition and participation.
• Regional parties can benefit if their support is geographically concentrated.
• Advantages of proportional systems such as AMS
• Seats reflect votes more fairly.
• More parties can gain representation.
• Fewer wasted votes.
• Better reflects diverse political opinion.
• Disadvantages of proportional systems such as AMS
• More complex.
• Can weaken the constituency link.
• Often produces coalition or minority governments.
• Smaller parties may gain influence beyond their vote share.
• The UK franchise is now wide, but rules vary depending on the election or referendum:
• In UK general elections, most British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens aged 18+ can vote.
• The House of Lords cannot vote in general elections.
• Referendum franchise can vary, for example 16- and 17-year-olds could vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
• Three key elections for study
• 1979 general election: Conservative victory under Margaret Thatcher; influenced by the Winter of Discontent, leadership and dissatisfaction with Labour.
• 1997 general election: Labour landslide under Tony Blair; important for leadership, media support, tactical voting and Conservative weakness.
• 2019 general election: Conservative victory under Boris Johnson; shaped by Brexit, leadership, regional realignment and Labour's difficulties.
• 1997 general election
• Labour won a landslide.
• Blair's leadership and New Labour rebranding were crucial.
• Conservative divisions, sleaze and exhaustion damaged the government.
• The result showed how FPTP can magnify victory.
• Patterns in voting behaviour
• Class voting has weakened over time.
• Partisan dealignment means voters are less loyal to one party.
• Age has become increasingly important: older voters are more likely to vote Conservative; younger voters more likely to support Labour or smaller parties.
• Region matters, especially in Scotland, London and parts of northern England.
• Issue voting has become more important, especially around Brexit.
• Tactical voting can affect outcomes in marginal seats.
• Media influence
• Traditional media can shape perceptions of leaders and parties.
• Social media is increasingly important in campaigning.
• Media influence is strong but difficult to measure precisely.
• Manifestos and campaigns
• Manifestos present policy offers and help parties claim a mandate.
• Campaigns use rallies, debates, interviews, party political broadcasts, leaflets, canvassing and social media.
• Leadership image and campaign competence can be decisive.
• Role of elections
• Elections choose governments.
• They help confer legitimacy.
• They influence policy and policymaking because parties seek support through popular policies.
• Electoral systems affect the party system, for example FPTP tends to favour larger parties.
• Referendums in the UK
• Used for major constitutional issues.
• Examples: 1975 EEC, 2011 AV, 2014 Scottish independence, 2016 EU membership.
• They are not used regularly in the UK constitution and Parliament remains sovereign.
• Advantages of referendums
• Increase participation.
• Give decisions democratic legitimacy.
• Allow voters a direct say on major issues.
• Disadvantages of referendums
• Complex issues may be reduced to a simple yes/no choice.
• Campaigns can be dominated by emotion, money or misinformation.
• They may undermine representative democracy.

• Define majoritarian, proportional, representative democracy, suffrage, participation, voting behaviour, manifesto, campaign and referendum accurately.
• Explain how FPTP works in general elections.
• Explain how a proportional system such as AMS works in a devolved body.
• Compare majoritarian and proportional systems.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each system.
• Use examples from 1979, 1997 and 2019 to explain why parties won or lost.
• Analyse how voting behaviour has changed over time.
• Explain the effects of partisan dealignment on UK elections.
• Assess the influence of media, leadership, manifestos and campaigns.
• Interpret election data such as turnout, vote share and seat share.
• Evaluate whether UK elections are fair and effective.
• Analyse the role and impact of referendums in the UK.
• Make clear, supported judgements using political vocabulary, evidence and examples.