Homework #8

Voting and Elections

1. List at least four ways that the single member district plurality electoral system can be
considered unfair or undemocratic. Provide examples.

A losing party can win seats even though there has been a different winner because of the
efficiency of that party’s votes, or “the ratio of [their] seats to votes” that may allow it to win a
majority of seats with fewer votes based on how they are “distributed across constituencies”.
(Ex: A group gains majorities in one part of the country while an opposing group gains narrow
wins across the country – gaining more votes because of their vote distribution)(Hague 189)
When a party or candidate seems to have no chance of winning in an elector’s district, the
elector votes for others whom they wouldn’t normally vote for, aka Tactical voting. T.V.
“reduces the extent to which parties integrate different regions within a national party system.”
(Ex: My favorite candidate is favored by not many others in my district, he might lose; therefore,
I vote for the popular candidate in my district, which results in my original party losing my
region.)(Hague 189)
Single member district plurality discriminates against minorities for instance, a minority
who has even support across the country, will most certainly lose to a minority with a
concentrated vote in one area. (Hague 189)
The Plurality system stresses the “importance of constituency boundaries giv[ing]
incentives for Gerrymandering”, or “drawing seat boundaries to maximize the efficiency of a
party’s support” within it’s districts.

2. Describe the key differences between plurality, majority, and proportional representation
electoral systems, giving examples.

The key differences between the Plurality, Majority, and Proportional Representation electoral
systems are:

(a) In the Majority and Proportional systems, several candidates are usually chosen from
a one party list, compared to just one chosen in a Plurality system.

(b) Unlike the Plurality and Proportional systems, the Majority system does not offer a
bonus of seats to either the winning or losing parties.

(c) Both the Plurality and Majority systems vote for candidates from different parties,
while the Proportional system’s electors vote for a party whose number of votes then determine
how many candidates are elected from that party’s list.

3. (a) Identify and describe each of the seven types of electoral systems discussed in Hague &
Harrop.

4.Which electoral system do you think is the best? Explain.

The electoral system I think is the best is the Proportional system if it is run with a free list. The
many opportunities to vote on whoever is better because the system doesn’t seem so biased
toward one party. Furthermore, The proportional system allows for a diversity of parties to hold
seats which is good for the minority groups.

5. List the nine features of an electoral system that are associated with high voter turnout. For
each, explain (a) why this association exists and (b) why you think the U.S. should / shoudn’t
adopt the feature.

1.Compulsory voting – People are subject to fines if they don’t vote, so they vote, but the
US should not adopt this feature or else people might vote carelessly.

2.Automatic registration- encourages people to be more willing to vote because they

don’t have to go out of their way to register, the US should adopt this system because then they
would know how many people’s potential votes they are missing and from this they can
influence them to vote.

3.Voting by post and by proxy permitted – Citizens do not have to go out of their way to
vote and can simply send a letter or ask someone else to vote for them under the right
circumstances. The US should adopt the post system but proxy seems sketchy, because people
might just ask their friends to vote for them.

4.Advance voting permitted – If people don’t have time to vote because they are going on
business trips overseas or are busy with school, they can easily use this system; therefore, the US
should adopt it.

5.Weekend polling- most people’s job hours will not conflict with polling hours and more
people are free on the weekend allowing for more to vote; The US should adopt this feature
because according to the BLS.gov web page, only 32% of people above 15 work on weekends
compared to 83% of those who work on weekdays.
(http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2006/jul/wk4/art05.htm)

6.Election decides who governs – When people know they have a direct effect on the
government they are more willing to vote than those who think their vote won’t make a
difference. The US should adopt this feature because then american’s wouldn’t be so apathetic
about politics and election day, it is because they know that based on their votes the electoral
college will decide who governs that they don’t often vote for presidents; also, the fact that the
politics of the executive branch don’t affect them, might add to the apathy they feel of election
day.

7.Cohesive parties- when parties can work together, more can get done, and people are
more willing to vote for someone knowing that their party will not be eliminated entirely from
government politics; The US should adopt this policy so that democrats and republicans elected
to the legislative and executive branches won’t working against each other all the time.
Proportional representation – Each vote has a “greater impact”, meaning more voters are “willing
to incur the cost of voting”; the US should adopt this policy because it would encourage voters to
vote for their representatives.

Close result anticipated – Voters feel that their votes make a difference; The US should adopt
this feature, but the question is how? (Hague 203)

6. Explain the meaning of the following procedures:

(a) Referendum – Allows voters to decide on an issue when referred to by the government; they
can be either binding or consultative. “increases voters’ understanding of issues, their confidence
in their own political abilities, and their faith in government responsiveness”. (Hague 199)

(b) Initiative – allows citizens to initiate a referendum. (Hague 199)

(c) recall – gives a number of voters the right to demand a referendum to decide whether to
remove an elected official from office. (Hague 199)

7. What is the difference between ideological and opportunistic political business cycles?

Ideological cycles occur on their own, “Naturally” while Opportunistic Business cycles occur
through the power of an incumbent executive who is looking for the opportunity to be re-elected.
(Miller 50)

8. Which electoral system / constitutional structure combinations are associated with political
business cycles? Why?

Presidential and Parliamentary systems with single party majorities have strong political business
cycles, while Parliamentary systems with Majority governments have weaker cycles; Presidential
and Parliamentary systems have stronger political business cycles when they have single party
majorities because “it is difficult to get a coalition to agree to manipulate the economy for
electoral purposes”. (Miller 55)

9. How are the two indicators of democratic efficiency related to the severity of a country’s
political business cycle? Why?

“Countries with weakest political business cycle usually have lowest income inequality and
strongest labor movement” because “the more equal […] the distribution of the wealth [among
citizens]”, the more likely citizens will have a “stake” in the “overall health of the economy”;
this means that more of society will be able to resist opportunistic business cycles. It is the same
for the labor movement. (Miller 55-6)

Voting and Elections in the U.S.

10. Hudson presents evidence that civic involvement by Americans has declined since 1960.

(a) Why do some social scientists feel that this is dangerous for democracy?
Some social scientists feel that a decrease in American civic involvement is dangerous for
society because then “Americans will have less opportunity to acquire the skills needed for
effective citizenship; many important public tasks in their communities will not be
accomplished; and public policies will be enacted without broad –based and non-elite input”.
(Hudson 151-2)

(b) Why do other social scientists disagree?

• They believe there has been an “explosion of citizen advocacy groups that have become
such important players in national politics”
• Citizens have begun participating in non profits resulting in non profit growth and an
increase in community participation.
• Citizens have begun to use referendums and itiatives more often than before
• Local activist groups have become more popular and have sometimes transformed into
permanent organizations
• Electronic political participation has risen (Hudson 153-5)

(c) Which argument do you find the most convincing? Why?

The Argument that is most convincing is the increase in local activist groups because I have
heard about several of these arising from local conflicts that became national, permanent,
organizations such as the one formed by Lois Gibbs of the Love Canal issue called CHEJ.

11. What sorts of people are more likely to vote than others? Give at least four characteristics
associated with a high likelihood of voting. Explain why you think each characteristic is related
to a higher likelihood of voting.

The Highly educated (AKA college graduate) is more likely to vote than any one else. Four
characteristics associated with a high likelihood of voting are:

• Knowing that one’s ideas matter – allows people to feel that they are making a difference
w/ their vote.
• Reading newspaper editorials and magazines that promote “the importance of voting” –
More likely to be influenced to do so and to believe their vote it important
• Older age- It becomes easier to vote with experience and more knowledge of politics
• The wealthy- they usually have higher educations allowing them easy access to resources
that educate them about voting and its effects.

12. Does Hudson think the U.S. System of primary elections is good for democracy, or does he
favor returning to a more party – centered system of candidate selection and election campaigns?
Explain.

Hudson believes that the U.S. System of Primary Elections is hurtful to democracy, and he
favors returning to a more party centered system of candidate selection and election campaigns
that way citizens will be able to have a greater ability to choose who the candidates will be in
general elections rather than relying on the candidates to fund the campaigns themselves;
furthermore, by retuning to a more party-centered system, citizens will be able to rely more on
the candidates based on their experience because the parties will choose who will run for office
rather than the candidates choosing who will run for office and funding everything themselves.
Citizens will be able to trust their candidates more because they will be able to tell from that
candidates experience whether he or she will make a good president (or else that person would
not have been chosen by their party to run). (Hudson 177-6)

13. (a) List at least three of the reforms that Hudson proposes to promote deliberation, providing
examples.

(b) For each one, explain why you agree or disagree.