Unit: Government, PoIicies & the Uniformed PubIic Services

EIectoraI process (P3, M2, D1)

What is an Election? An Election is a vote for somebody to be in power, an Election
is a system that is used to decide a disputed argument and the formal decision
selects a winner of a position or political office.

There are 5 different types of Election. The first is a GeneraI EIection; this Election
runs the full scale of the country. The second type of Election is a By EIection; this
Election elects one person for a position. The third is a Referendum; this Election is
carried out if the outcome is too important for just Government to decide. The fourth
Election is LocaI EIections; a vote is cast by local people to elect councillors who
run their local services E.G. waste collections .The last type of Election is European
EIections; these Elections take place every five years which elects 736 people into
European parliament.

A General Election affects members of parliament in central Government (MP's) and
the whole state as the result of this Election decides which Government party is
elected to govern the country. A general Election must be held every 5 years or
earlier at the prime ministers discretion. The levels of Government that are affected
by this Election is Central and Local Government because, the final outcome of a
General Election effects Central Government, Also on the Thursday that a General
Election takes place, local Government must provide the polling stations which will
be schools, churches or social centres.
A Referendum Election affects central Government due to having the referendum
hands over the final decision that is too great for Government, to the citizens of the
nation to decide to outcome which is usually selected by a simple yes or no vote on
whatever the question may be. For example, our most recent referendum was to
continue with our current first past the post voting system or replace this system with
an alternative voting system. The outcome of this was 32.10% of the citizens of the
UK voted yes to change the current system, however 67.90% voted no to keep the
current first past the post system.

%ype of EIection LeveI of Government
affected
How affected
GeneraI Central & local Central Government is
reformed over minimum of
28 days in the mean time
local Government must
provide polling stations,
counters of votes and the
logistics to carry the vote
after the Election time has
expired.
By Central This affects central
Government because if
Gideon Osborne was to
resign as Chancellor of the
Exchequer then there would
be a By Election put in place
to elect fairIy another person
to take over from the former
Exchequer.
Referendum Central The referendum takes the
power of decision from
Government and is decided
by the citizens of the UK. No
matter of the outcome the
decision cannot be changed
as the people of the state
have decided the final
outcome of the choice that
has been given to them
because the choice was to
important only for
Government to decide for the
country.
LocaI Local & local authorities A local Election decides who
the people of the local state
want to see running the local
authorities. Authorities such
like, the councils, waste
collections, recycle
collections, councillors who
provide leisure facilities and
council tax charges.
European European union & European
Government
Effects who is in power to
represent the UK in the
Euopean union.


Party politics are politics that apply to each party. For example, there are four main
parties in politics that are in the eyes of the media. Those are Labour, Conservative,
Liberal Democrats and the Tories. Between these four parties their policies that they
campagin offer different ideas and benfits to society, whether they are carried out is
a different matter.
A political party would campaign their policies by
O Canvassing target a specific group to get that minority group to vote for that
party.
O Tv advertisment parties will produce a political broardcast which is usually is
broardcasted around 1800 when everybody has finished work and is watching
television.
O Free items politicians will go to local areas and hand out free items such as
ballons, bagdes, flags to support their party.
O Speeches also the head of the political party will produce and deliver
speeeches and debates will take place between the politicians.
O Posters will be distributed to advertise the election and the vote for that
specific party. As you can usually see citizens put posters up into their
windows and banners in their gardens to advertise their political beliefs.
O Phone calls political perties can gain access to your contact details and
phone your home address to discuss how you plan to cast your vote and who
to vote for.
O Manifesto a political party will issue a manifesto, which explains what they
"say they will do if they were elected. Usually what they say and do are two
completely different things.

Who can and cannot vote in an Election?

,3349;490 ,3;490
Prisoners Persons over 18 (registered to vote)
Mental ill (extreme circumstances) Armed Iorces
Not a UK citizen Bankrupt
Lords Homeless
Royal Iamily UK citizens
Ex patrons/British living abroard
Sir`s and Knights
Government





Who can and cannot stand for Election?

4.,3 4.,39
Local Election age 18 Mentally ill
General Election age 21 Lords
Knights Royal Iamily
Prisoners (less than a year leIt oI sentence) Bankrupt
UniIormed service personnel (but must leave
career to do so)
UniIormed service personnel

Civil servants (but must leave beIore so) Civil servants
Local Government oIIicers ( leave current post in
order to stand Ior Election
Local Government oIIicers

1he rlme
melnlsLer
-Chooses an elecLlon unless
-1 1here ls a voLe of no confldence ln governmenL
-2 Cr Lhe Monarch enforces arllamenL AcL Lhen lL ls ouL of Lhe Ms hands
-1he M wlll go Lo Lhe Cueen and ask her Lo dlssolve arllamenL
1he Cueen
-1he Cueen Lhen dlssolves arllamenL
-1he legal and uemocraLlc servlces and Lhe LlcLoral 8eglsLrar are noLlfled
Local
CovernemnL
-rovldes olllng sLaLlons and 8alloL cards for Lhe elecLlon
-1he elecLlon daLe ls seL whlch ls always on a 1hursday because Lhls day ls markeL day
-1he Llme beLween Lhe Cueen dlsolvlng arllamenL and Lhe elecLlon day Lhe bare mlnlmum musL be 28
days Lhls glven Lhe pollLlcal parLles pleanLy of Llme Lo campalgn for areas of Lhe uk
LlecLlon day
-1he LlecLoral 8eglsLrar geLs Lhe day off
-Lhe 8eLurnlng offlcer Lakes over and ls responslble for
Method on how a general Election is called in the UK.

O the nomination process for candidates and political parties

O provision and notification of polling stations
O appointment of Presiding Officers and polling clerks
O appropriate administration and security of polling stations
O preparation of all ballot papers
O the actual count and declaration of results
O issue, receipt and counting of postal ballot papers
O all candidates' election expenses returns
O presentation of final account and,
O reclamation of funding from external bodies as prescribed.