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Chapter by Chapter ResourcesChapter 6: Elections, Voting and Referendums: Systems, turnout, preferences and unpredictability
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Turnout seems to be declining but still varies – between people, between countries and regions, and between elections – in ways that we can predict.
Voters switch parties more, and make up their minds later, than they used to. Votes seem to switch within left and right blocs more than they switch between them.
Social class, religion and party identification are less important to voting than they were, but have not been simply or completely replaced by ‘values voting’ or by short-term considerations based on issues, the economy, and leadership. Voters are individuals but what seems important to them is in part determined by parties.
The EP has become more powerful but voters – even if their preferences on European integration may dovetail with their views on other issues – still accord it relatively little importance. EP elections can be (and are) used, though, as a useful test of opinion and tactics in domestic politics.
Many European countries use referendums, but their purposes and powers vary considerably. Direct democracy comes with risks but can be a useful adjunct to representative politics.
(For general web materials on European Politics see Tim Bale's Internet Guide)
www.aceproject.org
All things electoral
www.sussex.ac.uk/sei/1-4-2.html
Election reports online
www.parties-and-elections.de and wikipedia.org
Election results
www.unc.edu/~asreynol/ballots.html
Examples of ballot papers
www.idea.int/vt
Global survey of turnout
www.iri-europe.org
Referendums
www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/Staff/michael_gallagher/ElSystems/index.php
Michael Gallahger's Politics of Electoral Systems website
1. There is more than one type of proportional representation or PR electoral system used in Europe and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Which do you prefer, and why?
2. What sort of rules can affect, and even undermine, the proportionality of PR systems? Can you give some examples of where these things have had an impact?
3. A handful of European countries employ ‘plurality’ or ‘majority’ systems: what do you see as the pros and cons of such systems?
4. Many people assume that a particular electoral system automatically leads to a particular party system: are they right to do so?
5. What causes variations in turnout at elections, and how seriously should we take concerns about turnout dropping right across Europe?
6. Voters seem to be less loyal to parties than they once were: how would you go about explaining this?
7. Do you think class and/or religion make much difference to the way people vote any more?
8. If you were asked to sum up the differences between today’s European voters and those of thirty or forty years ago, what would you say?
9. Do people vote differently in EP elections?
10. Referendums are distrusted, even disdained, by their critics: do you think they have some justification for their dislike of direct democracy?
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