The parliamentary vote is the mechanism through which citizens communicate with policy-makers. It is the only way citizens can directly influence politicians and express their opinions.
Parliamentary democracy depends on a strong connection between elected representatives and the public. In order to ensure this, there are a range of laws that need to be settled and upheld, including electoral rules, delimitations of constituencies and party funding. In addition, citizens need access to information about draft laws under consideration and venues through which they can voice their opinions.
When a proposal is put to the parliamentary vote, there are two methods of voting: division and ‘on the voices’. The first method of voting involves a formal declaration of who is voting for or against the proposal. Members of Parliament (MPs) move to the side of their chair that represents the group they belong to, while the Presiding Officer records each member’s vote. In some cases, the vote may be split and a second vote called a ‘division’ is held. In this case, the Presiding Officer asks those who are voting for the proposal to move to the right and those against to move to the left. The votes are then counted and the names of those who voted are recorded.
There is much debate about whether or not the House of Lords should be directly elected. Those who argue that it is important for lawmakers to be closely connected with their constituents point to the fact that a democratic system allows citizens to remove their politicians at regular intervals if they do not believe they are doing their job well. This is a crucial feature that distinguishes parliamentary democracies from monarchies or aristocratic regimes that only have hereditary peers as their legislators.
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