How do local elections work?

How do local elections work?

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, we will investigate the voting system used in local elections, learning about political parties and their role in elections and look at the process of local elections step-by-step.

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5 Questions

Q1.
True or false? Local councillors sit in Parliament.
Correct answer: False
True
Q2.
Which one of these is NOT a role of a local councillor?
Developing council policies
Correct answer: Making decisions about policing of the area
Providing community leadership of their area
Representing an area
Taking part in planning and licensing decisions
Q3.
True or false? Local councillors attend committee meetings, which make decisions about a local area or look into an issue.
False
Correct answer: True
Q4.
True or false? An allowance is the small amount of money given to local councillors to carry out their role.
False
Correct answer: True
Q5.
Which definition best describes a council officer?
An elected individual who represents constituents in a ward.
Correct answer: An unelected expert who advises councillors.

5 Questions

Q1.
To vote in local elections within England, what age do you have to be?
16
17
Correct answer: 18
21
Q2.
True or false? If you are an Irish or Commonwealth citizen, you can still vote in English local elections.
False
Correct answer: True
Q3.
A political party is a group of people who share a common view on issues. Which one of these is NOT a political party?
Correct answer: Greenpeace
Liberal Democrats
The Conservative Party
The Green Party
The Labour Party
Q4.
True or false? You can vote if you are serving a sentence in prison.
Correct answer: False
True
Q5.
First Past The Post (FPTP) is the voting system used in local elections in England. Which statement best describes FPTP?
A voting system where the winner is the candidate who gets the majority of votes.
Correct answer: A voting system where the winner is the candidate who gets the most number of votes. Also called a plurality or winner takes all system.

Lesson appears in

UnitCitizenship / How does local democracy work?

Citizenship