POL111H5 Lecture 11: First Past the Post
27 Nov 2018
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Document Summary
First past the post": we need to look at how the rules of the electoral game" structure how the parties compete for our vote, every electoral system affects how parties compete for votes, and strategize to win support. Electoral rules are not neutral: they independently affect electoral outcomes: our electoral system is known as the first past the post system (fptp), also known as the single-member plurality electoral system. A wins: under fptp, the candidate who receives the most votes in a constituency on election day is elected, regardless of whether this amounts to a majority of the votes cast. In other words, the winning candidate only has to secure a plurality of the votes cast, not a majority: note, this is a winner take all system. Voters who support candidates b, c or d get no. In the 2008 election, only 1/5 mps actually got over 50% of the vote.
