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An Introduction to Government

Government may be defined as the exercise of political authority over the actions, affairs anddecision- making involved in ruling a country.

Concepts you should know:

Political party

A political party may be defined as an organised group of people, with similar political aims and

opinions, who seek to influence public policy by getting their candidates elected to public office.This enables their members' and supporters' demands to be represented in Parliament and in

government.

Constituency

This is the body of voters or the residents of a district represented by an elected

legislator/member of parliament.

Candidate

This is a politician who is running for public office. A person puts him or herself up to stand for

election to the House of Representatives in Jamaica.

Electorate

The body of enfranchised citizens; those qualified to vote.

Voters' list

An official list that contains the names and addresses of registered voters in each constituency.

Voter

A person who votes during an electoral event by marking their choice on a ballot. Voters must

meet certain qualifications and be registered with the chief electoral officer.

Floating voter

This person may be seen as a swing voter. A floating voter is an elector who has no allegiance toany particular political party and whose unpredictable decisions can swing the outcome of an

election, one way or another.

Swing vote

The term used to describe a vote that may go to any of a number of candidates in an election.Such votes are usually sought after in elections, as they can play a big role in deciding the victor.

It will throw out any predictions or polls that had been made.

Representative

A person who represent others. In a democratic political system, a government will allow

citizens to exercise power through elected representatives.

Adult suffrage

Adult suffrage consists of giving the right to vote to adult citizens. The voting age in Jamaica is

18, down from 21, some years ago.

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Franchise

The right or privilege to vote in an election.

Manifesto

A public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature, distributed by apolitical party.

Ballot

This is a document used by voters to indicate their vote in an election.

Hung parliament

A hung parliament is one in which no one political party has an outright majority. This means it

is equally balanced.

Government of national unity

This is a constitutionally defined multi-party government, consisting of several political parties.

It may also be seen as a term used to refer to a case in which all the major political parties in a

country are part of the governing coalition.

Coalition government

This is similar to a government of national unity wherein a cabinet of several parliamentary

government parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no partyindependently has achieved a majority in Parliament.

Electoral process

An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual tohold public office and represent them. An election is the process by which citizens select the men

and women they want to run their government at all levels. In a democracy, government officials

are chosen by the people and serve for a specific time called a term of office. Depending on statelaws, an official may run for re-election once the term is over. Our system of government is

called a representative democracy.

What is an electoral system?

An electoral or voting system translates votes into seats. It determines how many votes and what

kinds of votes are necessary to award seats to candidates and parties in an election. Differentelectoral systems produce different kinds of results and give voters different kinds of choices.

Types of electoral systems

There are three main types of electoral systems in the world, with several variations among each

one. Here are the two main types used in the Caribbean.

1. Majority

Candidates are elected with a majority, that is, the candidate must obtain more than 50 per cent

of votes cast. This is also called first-past-the-post.

2. Proportional representation

Candidates are elected based on the total percentage of votes cast for their party in the entire

country.

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Ballot box

A container for marked ballots.

Enumeration

A registration event directed to all eligible voters or specific groups of voters in one or moreelectoral districts. An enumeration is an opportunity to identify and register people who are

eligible to vote, but have not yet registered. The information collected in an enumeration is used

to prepare the provincial voters' list.

Referendum

An electoral event in which registered voters are asked to express their opinion on a matter ofpublic interest or concern. During a referendum, registered voters mark a ballot in response to

one or more questions. A referendum was administered in 1962 to decide if Jamaica should have

remained in the West Indies Federation.

By-elections

A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between

regularly scheduled elections. Usually, this occurs when the incumbent has died or resigned, but

it may also occur when the incumbent becomes ineligible to continue in office, for example,

because of a recall or a sufficiently serious criminal conviction. By-elections have also beencalled as a result of a constituency election being invalidated due to voting irregularities. In

Jamaica, by-elections were held in at least two constituencies because individuals who won in

the last election had dual citizenship, which conflicts with constitutional obligations that all

parliamentary representatives must uphold.

Activities

1. Define EACH of the following:

a. Electorate

b. Electoral system

c. Differentiate between a floating and swing voter

2. Why do individual parties present a manifesto?

3. Give THREE reasons why by-elections are held in a country.

4. As a voter, suggest ONE strategy that may promote cooperation among supporters of political

parties after a general election. State why your strategy may be successful.

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