Electoral Reform in the United Kingdom - Annotated Bibliography Example

ELECTORAL REFORM IN THE UK Name Date of Submission Gay, Oonagh (1998). Voting Systems: The Jenkins Report. Retrieved from http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp98/rp98- 112.pdf Elections in the UK are held on the First Past the Posting (FPTP) Voting System that has been riddled by electoral malpractices. Gay Oonagh states that the system fails to ensure adequate representation in the House of Commons as its traditional purpose was to partially represent the interests of their locals and provide judgement on day-to-day issues (Gay 1998, p7). According to the Jenkins Report, the emergence of multiple political parties has necessitated electoral reforms in the UK to adopt alternative electoral systems to support functional representation that is based on opinion hence the formation of a government that represents the opinion of the majority. This report was commissioned by the Labour Government to study on the recommendations provided for by the Independent Commission on the Voting System and provide additional insight on alternative recommendations on electoral systems. Lord Jenkins recommended on the adoption of a two-vote system where 85 per cent of the House’s representation would be elected from the constituency and the remainder seats will be filled on a top-up basis (Gay 1998, p21). From the report it is possible to learn on the various alternative electoral systems and their suitability as well as the factors necessitating electoral reforms. Wilks-Heeg, Stuart 2008. Purity of Elections in the UK-Causes for Concern. Retrieved from http://www.jrrt.org.uk/uploads/Purity%20of%20Elections%20in%20the %20UK.pdf Dr Stuart in this report seeks to inform the reader on the integrity of the UK elections and underlying issues that call for electoral reforms. The author focuses on the 1997 General Election that handed the Labour Party a landslide victory that highlighted the non-proportionality of the FPTP voting system (Wilks-Hegg 2008, p21). Notably, the 1997 election was the most expensive in post-war UK with electoral expenditures totalling to over 80million pounds for the three major parties. This article provides an insight on the sources of funding for political parties and the expenditures incurred during electoral campaigns as well as the evolution of electoral malpractices. Two major parliamentary Acts were enacted in 2000 in response to the electoral malpractices and issues facing the electoral process. The Representation of the People Act (2000) and Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000 sought to implement proposed changes to the electoral process as well as the funding of political parties as well as their campaigns (Wilks-Hegg 2008, p15). The PPERA Act complemented the Jenkins Report that recommended on the constitution of an independent Electoral Commission to oversee, review and evaluate the electoral process (Wilks-Hegg 2008, p28). The author notes that although the electoral process in the UK largely meets the international standards, the process falls short in three major areas namely; ballot tracing, reducing numbers of registered voters and democratic rights denied to prisoners, the disabled and elderly persons (Wilks-Hegg 2008, p21). This report enhances the reader’s understanding of the UK electoral law by highlighting its essentials and its adherence to the international standards. Milton, Nicholas 2009. Electoral Reform Could Save the Climate. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif- green/2009/oct/12/electoral-reform-climate-green-mps The author seeks to inform the reader on the impact of politics on the environment where the elected representatives are able to address current national and/or global issues. In the article, the author argues that if political funds were reduced and channelled towards environmental projects, the nation could be able to address climate change issues evident in the 21st century. Therefore, through electoral reform, other national issues can be solved since the House provides a legal framework for all policies. Through open primaries, the electorate will be able to elect candidates that prioritise the needs of the planet over and above those of their parties (Milton 2009, Para 2). Currently, constituency candidates are endorsed by their party’s members and presented to the electorate for the final vote. Through intense lobbying towards seeking internal support within the party, members of parliament concentrate on reiterating on their loyalty to the party hence overlook public interests. Candidates with the interests of the public are unable to replace the departing MPs as they are not eligible for the party primaries hence their limited participation in the democratic process (Milton 2009, Para 7). From the article, the reader is able to understand why open primaries are important in the electoral process. However, the author fails to discuss on the disadvantages of open primaries and their impact on the entire electoral process. Open primaries would result into party disintegration as radical members seek to move agendas for their own good and not the benefit of the party. British Library 2010. Fair Votes of Firm Government? Retrieved from http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpsubject/socsci/topbib/elecreform/sct- electoral-reform.pdf This article expounds on the First Past the Post election system that is currently in use in the UK. The UK Government is formed based on the members elected to the House of Commons. By understanding the current system, the reader is able to understand the unceasing need of electoral reforms in the UK to tackle electoral challenges in the 21st century. Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons represent their constituency where registered voters in the constituency select their candidate of preference from a pool of candidates. The candidate that garners majority of the votes is elected to the House to represent their constituents. Advantages of the FPTP system include its friendliness to the electorate in terms of understanding the entire system, it provides a clear result where a single party attains a majority and lastly, it creates a stronger link between the MP and the electorate (British Library, p1). However, the system has been exposed to a number of weaknesses that are crucial in the electoral process. Firstly, an MP can be elected to the House by a small proportion of their constituent hence inadequate representation of the majority in the House. Evidently, this has resulted into reduced numbers of voter turnout in the General Elections in the past 10 years (British Library, p1). Secondly, the FPTP system fails to provide an equal election platform where the political landscape is dominated by the majority parties. As a result, the minority parties feel locked out of the electoral process hence denied democratic rights. These weaknesses of the FPTP system has called for reforms to ensure better representation in the House as well as reflect a true picture on the proportionality of the cast votes. From this article, the reader is able to learn on the strengths and limitation of the FPTP system as well as the behaviour of the resultant government. However, the reader is unable to learn on alternative electoral systems; their advantages and weaknesses as well as suitability in the UK. Dunleavy, Patrick & Margetts, Helen 2005. The Impact of the UK’s Electoral Sys. Retrieved from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/3083/1/The_impact_of_UK_electoral_systems_(L SERO)_.pdf In this article, the authors explore the theories underlying electoral reforms in the UK in order to analyse on the impact on any changes in the electoral systems. This analysis is important as the government is able to anticipate on major structural and institutional changes in the political arena as a result of changes in the electoral system. The authors are quick to note that there has been a gradual shift to the proportional electoral systems from the plurality rule election systems (Dunleavy & Margetts 2005, p1). This has resulted into an increasing number of minority parties participating in the General Elections. Additionally, the authors analyse the impact on electoral reforms on three major perspectives namely; number of competing parties, the proportionality of the electoral system and valuable strengths of the plurality system (Dunleavy & Margetts 2005, p3-12). In conclusion, the authors state that electoral reforms in the UK can be achieved through a chain of developments directed towards the achievement of proportional electoral systems. The authors single out the 2005 General Elections where the non-proportionality of the plurality electoral system was highlighted and hence the need of multi-party politics. The article emancipates the reader on the three major impact areas of electoral reform towards the achievement of a proportional electoral system. However, the authors fail to inform the reader on the funding burden placed on the electorate if multiple parties were included in the electoral process. Dept. For Communities & Local Govt. 2006. Implementing Electronic Voting in the UK. Retrieved from http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/156330 .pdf Towards implementing proposed changes in the electoral procedures to ensure fair representation of the majority as well as inclusion of all in the electoral process, the UK electoral commission seeks to embrace ICT in the electoral process. This is to be done via electronic voting that improves the efficiency of the electoral process. The author state that the need to introduce electoral voting systems arises from the increase in the use of technology in most areas of our lives (Dept. for Communities & Local Govt. 2006, p5). Additionally, digital technologies overcome physical boundaries hence allowing registered voters to participate in the electoral process irrespective of their location. With electronic voting, three major expected changes are issue of PIN numbers to replace polling cards, multiple polling-days and quick delivery of results as they are tallied and relayed electronically. Towards the implementation of electronic voting, the author states that the core fundamentals of the electoral process should be observed to curb electoral malpractices (Dept. for Communities & Local Govt. 2006, p7-8). The author concentrates on studies indicating the public’s reception to the electronic voting system, privacy and confidentiality issues facing the system, security as well as a cost-benefit analysis (Dept. for Communities & Local Govt. 2006, p11). Bibliography British Library 2010. Fair Votes of Firm Government? Retrieved on 7th August, 2010 from http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpsubject/socsci/topbib/elecreform/sct-electoral- reform.pdf Dept. For Communities & Local Govt. 2006. Implementing Electronic Voting in the UK. Retrieved on 7th August, 2010 from http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/156330.pdf Dunleavy, Patrick & Margetts, Helen 2005. The Impact of the UK’s Electoral Sys. Retrieved on 7th August, 2010 from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/3083/1/The_impact_of_UK_electoral_systems_(L SERO)_.pdf Gay, Oonagh (1998). Voting Systems: The Jenkins Report. Retrieved on 7th August, 2010 from http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp98/rp98-112.pdf Graham, James 2010. Who Will Fight for Electoral Reform. Retrieved on 7th August 2010 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/03/electoral-reform- gordon-brown Katwala, Sunder 2009. Electoral Reform: If not Now, When? Retrieved on 7th August, 2010 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/22/electoral-reform-nick- clegg Kennedy, Helena 2010. Britain Needs Real Electoral Reform. Retrieved on 7th August, 2010 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/03/electoral-reform- gordon-brown1 Milton, Nicholas 2009. Electoral Reform Could Save the Climate. Retrieved on 7th August, 2010 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif- green/2009/oct/12/electoral-reform-climate-green-mps Wilks-Heeg, Stuart 2008. Purity of Elections in the UK-Causes for Concern. Retrieved on 7th August, 2010 from http://www.jrrt.org.uk/uploads/Purity%20of%20Elections%20in%20the %20UK.pdf. Read More