Answers to UK Parliamentary Elections worksheet

Question What’s an election?

Answer An election is where a group of people

select a someone to represent them either directly or indirectly

Question Why have elections?

Answer Elections are seen to reflect the

democratic nature of a society or institution.

It also helps democratic process by allowing multiple voices to be heard through an elected representative

It gives legitimacy to the views articulated by an elected representative

Question What is a general election?

Answer in which all or most members of a given

political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.

Question What is a political party?

Answer A political party is a group people who

share the same ideas/ideology about the way the country should be governed

Question Identify as many mainstream political

parties as you can

Answer Ukip Conservative Labour The Greens LibDems

Question How are Parliamentary Candidates

chosen?

Answer Must join the political party they want

represent They’re nominated in a selection

process They’re selected from a Hustings event

Question Who can’t vote in UK elections

Answer Under 18 In prison Sectioned under mental health act Not on the electoral role

Question How do people vote?

Answer Polling station Postal vote By proxy (a voter who has become ill or

disabled after 5pm six working days before polling day can make an emergency application to vote by proxy as long as the application is received by 5pm on polling day)

Question What is a constituency? How many are their?

Answer A body of voters in a specified area who

elect a representative to a legislative body

In 2010 election - 650

Question How many seats are there in the House

of Commons?

Answer 650

Question What time of electoral system do we

use?

Answer First past the post system

Question How many seats did each of the three

main parties win in the 2010 election?

Answer Conservatives 307 Labour 258 Lib Dems 57

Question How many votes did each of the three

main parties win in the 2010 election?

Answer Conservatives – 10,726,614 Labour – 8,609,527 Lib Dems – 6,836, 824

Question What conclusion can you come two if

you compare the number of seats won in relation to the number of seats gained?

Answer The number of seats isn’t proportional

to the number of seats gained