Compare and Contrast the Powers of a British Prime Minister and Those of the President of the United States

Compare and contrast the first past-the-post and second ballot electoral systems.
A country’s electoral system is the method used to calculate the number of elected positions in government that individuals and parties are awarded after elections. In other words it is the process by which votes are translated into seats in Parliament or in government. In different democracies in the world, there are diverse systems of electoral systems present. The rules on how votes are cast and seats allocated differ from region to region. The two types of electoral systems being discussed are first past the post and second ballot electoral systems.
First past the post is also known as plurality systems, is simply “winner takes all” sort of system. This is a situation where a candidate needs to get more than fifty percent of the votes to be a successful candidate in elections. Plurality systems also tend to encourage the growth of a relatively stable political government dominated by two major parties, for example Trinidad and Tobago. Such electoral system clearly does not represent the true nature or calling of all voters.
Elections for the House and Senate in the United States and for the House of Commons in the United Kingdom use the plurality system. The US presidential election is also generally considered a plurality system, but the existence of the Electoral College actually makes it a hybrid of both plurality and majority systems.
Advantages of the plurality systems are that it is easily understood by voters, provides quick decision making process and is more convenient than other methods. the main argument or disadvantage against this method is that in an election where there are more than two candidate, it would result in an election where a candidate has a minority of votes. Elections by the plurality system is not limited to government, it is commonly used in selection of officers in large organizations as well.
In contrast, the second ballot method comes from the majority systems of electoral systems. The majority electoral systems attempt to provide for a greater degree of representativeness by requiring that candidates achieve a majority of votes in order to win. Majority is normally defined as 50% plus one vote. If no candidate gets a majority of votes, then a second round of voting is held, usually a week after initially voting. In the second round of voting, only a selected number of candidates from the first round of voting are allowed to participate. In some countries, like Russia for example, the top two candidates in the first round move on to the second round. Like plurality systems, majority systems usually rely on single member constituencies and allow voters to indicate only one preference on their ballot.
Advantages of this method of electoral system is; it offers the voters the possibility to penalize the disappointing representatives and the voting system is characterized by simplicity, as each constituency designates only one representative, and thus voters have a better understanding of the voting process, increasing the social control of the election process, as all the operations begin and end in the constituency.
Moreover, there are disadvantages to this type of electoral system such as; the voting system is not optimal for expressing political pluralism and by electing only one deputy in a constituency leads to situations where most of the voters in that constituency are not represented, if the winner gathers fifty percent plus one of the votes casted.
The plurality electoral system as well as the majority electoral system has certain features in common. They both require an individual to acquire a majority of the votes cast to represent and act on behalf of the government and the population which they represent. They have with them their respective advantages and disadvantages which assist in the decisions of voters.