UK A-Levels Politics Practice Exam

Which voting system allows voters to select a party and an individual representative?

1. Mixed-member proportional system

2. Alternative vote

3. Additional member system (AMS)

4. First past the post (FPTP)

The correct answer is: Additional member system (AMS)

The additional member system (AMS) is recognized for allowing voters to cast two votes: one for a political party and another for an individual representative in their local constituency. This dual-voting mechanism combines elements of both proportional representation and first-past-the-post systems. In AMS, voters select a candidate who represents their local area, ensuring a direct connection between constituents and their elected representative. At the same time, the party vote contributes to the overall proportionality of the electoral outcome, as it helps allocate additional seats to parties in the legislature based on their total share of the vote. This approach seeks to balance constituency representation with a more proportionally reflective overall representation in the legislative body. Other voting systems, while each having unique mechanisms and intended outcomes, do not facilitate this combination of party and individual voting in the same way. For example, the mixed-member proportional system also allows for party and individual votes, but its primary focus is on balancing overall proportionality rather than direct constituency representation in a more localized context. The alternative vote and first past the post systems focus solely on individual candidates without providing a mechanism for party-level voting.