The-Electoral-System英国与美国选举制度

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1、The-Electoral-SystemThe-Electoral-System英国与美国选举制度英国与美国选举制度Buckingham PalaceElectoral system:UKIn England,elections have been used as a parliamentary process since the 13th century.The secret ballot was adopted in 1872 and full equal voting rights won for women in 1928.All registered members of the p

2、ublic aged 18 and over may vote in parliamentary elections.The British House of Commons is elected for a maximum of five years;the prime minister can call a general election at any time.THE LISTINGThe calling of an election the election writ By-elections Nomination of candidates Election campaigns a

3、nd expenses Corrupt practices The parliamentary franchise The poll Disputed elections Effects of the first-past-the-post system Electoral behaviour in Britain The calling of an election the election writ The royal proclamation announcing the dissolution of Parliament and the summoning of a new Parli

4、ament is the authorization for the writs for a general election.The decision to dissolve Parliament is made by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister.Under the Parliament Act 1911 the maximum duration of a Parliament is five years.On average,since 1900 elections have been held between eve

5、ry three and four years.On two occasions in the 20th century two elections have been held in one year:in 1910 and 1974.By-elections A writ for a by-election is issued by the clerk of the Crown on receipt of the Speakers warrant.A by-election must be held not less than 11 or more than 21 days after t

6、he issue of the writ.Nomination of candidates The House of Commons consists of 659 members,each representing a single-member constituency.Each candidate must be nominated by a proposer,a seconder,and eight other electors.In practice,the overwhelming majority of candidates are nominated by political

7、parties.Furthermore,the majority of the party candidates are nominated by the Conservative,Labour,and Liberal Democrat parties.ElizabethElection campaigns and expenses The election expenses of each candidate are strictly controlled.The purposes of election expenses are also strictly controlled and a

8、ll expenses must be declared and published.All election literature must include the name and address of the publisher and of the printer.Each candidate is allowed,however,to send one electoral communication free to every elector in the constituency.Corrupt practices In earlier times British election

9、s were notoriously corrupt,but the introduction of the secret ballot in 1872 and the passing of the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act 1883 have virtually eliminated corruption.A person found guilty of a corrupt or illegal practice is disqualified from voting for five years in a parliamentary electio

10、n.In contrast to the rest of the UK,however,examples of personation and intimidation have been fairly common in Northern Ireland.The parliamentary franchise To qualify as an elector in a parliamentary election in a particular constituency a person must be resident in that constituency on the annual

11、qualifying date(10 October),be a British citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland,of at least 18 years of age(21 before 1969),and not be subject to any legal disqualification.The electoral register is compiled annually and comes into force on 15 February following the qualifying date of 10 Oc

12、tober.Lists of electors are publicly displayed to enable voters to ensure that their names have been included.Windsdor CastleThe poll Since the general election of 1918 polling or voting has taken place in all constituencies on the same day.Prior to this,polling was spread over three to four weeks.V

13、oters are provided with polling cards which direct them to specified polling stations located in different parts of the constituency.The polling stations open at 7 a.m.and close at 10 p.m.Disputed elections If it is alleged that the elected candidate is disqualified from sitting in Parliament,or tha

14、t a candidate has engaged in bribery,corruption,orintimidation of electors,or that people ineligible to vote have voted in theelection,the case is referred to an election court.This consists of two HighCourt judges who may,according to the evidence,declare the election void ordeclare the candidate w

15、ith the next highest number of votes elected.In the past,disputed elections were not uncommon,but they are now comparatively rare and are mostly concerned with alleged disqualification of the successful candidate.Effects of the first-past-the-post system The simple first-past-the-post system of voti

16、ng has an important effect on elections since it is possible in a given constituency for a candidate to be elected with only a relative majority of votes.This can,of course,only occur where there are three or more candidates,but since this is not uncommon,such results are not rare.Electoral behaviou

17、r in Britain Electoral behaviour in Britain is characterized by a considerable degree of homogeneity and the movement of support(or swing)from one party to another at a general election is usually maintained fairly uniformly over the whole country.The White HouseElections in the United States The sy

18、stem is a product not only of American politics but also of the development of technology as problems regarding transportation and communications were solved in the past 200 years.Basically,the system is not that complicated when traced backwards.In the simplest terms,the members of the College of E

19、lectors from 50 states and the District of Columbia get together and cast their votes for the president and vice-president of the United States.The candidates who get the highest number of votes win.THE LISTINGVoting Eligibility Voter registration Absentee voting Mail ballots Early voting Voting equ

20、ipment Eligibility The eligibility of an individual for voting is set out in the constitution and also regulated at state level.The constitution states that suffrage cannot be denied on grounds of race or color,sex or age for citizens eighteen years or older.Beyond these basic qualifications,it is t

21、he responsibility of state legislatures to regulate voter eligibility.Voter registration Every state except North Dakota requires that citizens who wish to vote be registered.Some states allow citizens to register to vote on the same day of the election.Traditionally,voters had to register at state

22、offices to vote,but in the mid-1990s efforts were made by the federal government to make registering easier,in an attempt to increase turnout.Absentee voting Voters unable or unwilling to vote at polling stations on Election Day can vote via absentee ballots.Absentee ballots are most commonly sent a

23、nd received via the United States Postal Service.Despite their name,absentee ballots are often requested and submitted in person.Typically a voter must request an absentee ballot before the election occurs.Mail ballots Mail ballots are similar in many respects to an absentee ballot.However they are

24、used for Mailing Precincts where on election day no polling place is opened for a specific precinct.In Oregon,all ballots are delivered through the mail.Early voting Early voting is a formal process where voters can cast their ballots prior to the official election day.Voting equipment Voters castin

25、g their ballots in polling places record their votes most commonly with optical scan voting machines or DRE voting machines.Voting machine selection is typically done through a states local election jurisdiction including counties,cities,and townships.Many of these local jurisdictions have changed t

26、heir voting equipment since 2000 due to the passage of the Help America Vote Act(HAVA),which allocated funds for the replacement of lever machine and punch card voting equipment.Levels of Election Federal elections Presidential elections Congressional elections Senate elections House of Representati

27、ves elections State elections Local elections Federal elections The United States has a presidential system of government,which means that the executive and legislature are elected separately.It is the responsibility of state legislatures to regulate the qualifications for a candidate appearing on a

28、 ballot paper,although in order to get onto the ballot,a candidate must often collect a legally defined number of signatures.Presidential elections The President and the Vice President are elected together in a Presidential election.The election is indirect,the winner being determined by votes cast

29、by electors of the Electoral College.In modern times,voters in each state select a slate of electors from a list of several slates designated by different parties or candidates,and the electors typically promise in advance to vote for the candidates of their party Congressional elections Elections t

30、o Congress take place every two years.Congress has two chambers.Senate elections The Senate has 100 members,elected for a six year term in dual-seat constituencies(two from each state)with one-third being renewed every two years.Until the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 19

31、13,Senators were elected by state legislatures,not the electorate of states.Congress of USHouse of Representatives elections The House of Representatives has 435 members,elected for a two year term in single-seat constituencies House elections are usually,but not always,correlated with presidential

32、elections.As the redistricting commissions of states are often partisan,districts are often drawn which benefit incumbents.State elections State law and state constitutions,controlled by state legislatures regulate elections at a state level and local level.Various officials at state level are elect

33、ed.Since the separation of powers applies to states as well as the federal government,state legislatures and the executive(the governor)are elected separately.Proposals to amend the state constitution are also placed on the ballot in some states.Local elections At the local level,county and city gov

34、ernment positions are usually filled by election,especially within the legislative branch.The extent to which offices in the executive or judicial branches are elected vary from county to county.Some examples of local elected positions include sheriffs at the county level and mayors and school board

35、 members at the city level.Supreme Court of USFeatures of the election systemParty systems Ballot access Campaign finance Primaries and caucuses Party systems The United States has a very strong two-party system,which means that there are two dominant political parties.It is extremely difficult for

36、anyone to achieve electoral success under a third party.As a general rule,the Democratic and Republican parties are too well established to be seriously challenged in federal and state electoral politics.Ballot access Ballot access refers to the laws which regulate under what conditions access is gr

37、anted for a candidate or political party to appear on voters ballots.Each State has its own ballot access laws to determine who may appear on ballots and who may not.Campaign finance The funding of electoral campaigns has always been a controversial issue in American politics.Infringement of free sp

38、eech(First Amendment)is an argument against restrictions on campaign contributions,while allegations of corruption arising from unlimited contributions is an argument for the other side.Private funds are a major source of finance,from individuals and organizations.Primaries and caucuses In federal e

39、lections,candidates are chosen not by party officials,but by primary elections(abbreviated to primaries)and caucuses.A primary election is an election in which registered voters in a jurisdiction(nominating primary)select a political partys candidate for a later election.Caucuses also nominate candidates by election,but they are very different from primaries.Thank you for watching!结束结束