文档介绍：The Electoral System
------Britain and the United States
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Buckingham Palace
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Electoral system: UK
In 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 public 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.
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THE LISTING
The calling of an election – the election writ
By-elections
Nomination of candidates
Election campaigns and expenses
Corrupt practices
The parliamentary franchise
The poll
Disputed elections
Effects of the first-past-the-post system
Electoral behaviour in Britain
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The calling of an election – the election writ
The royal proclamation announcing the dissolution of Parliament and the summoning of a new Parliament 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.
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On average, since 1900 elections have been held between every three and four years. On two occasions in the 20th century two elections have been held in one year: in 1910 and 1974.
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By-elections
A writ for a by-election is issued by the clerk of the Crown on receipt of the Speaker‘s warrant . A by-election must be held not less than 11 or more than 21 days after the issue of the writ.
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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 parties. Furthermore, the majority of the party candidates are nominated by