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Electoral Reform
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Component 1 : Part 1 UK politics - electoral systems
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F ir s t P a s t T h e P o s t - Plurality. Used in General Elections to the House Of Commons; Voters elect chosen candidates by ticking one candidateon the ballot paper. Winning candidates from each constituency take up their seats in the HOC and the party with an absolute majority forms the government. The
leader of the governing party becomes PM and selects his/her cabinet.
Advantages of FPTP –
Strong government- Administrations with a clear overall majority can provide effective leadership for the nation- especially at times of national
crisis. For example Tony Blair saw a sufficient enough threat in Iraq to invade- this decisive action made him accountable.
Stable government- First Past the Post usually provides strong, stable governments with a clear overall majority and mandate to govern the
country.
Strong MP constituency link- FPTP uses single member constituencies which means that one MP clearly represents a single
defined area, therefore all citizens know what to do and who to approach should they have a problem or need help. For example Oona King
was held accountable after she voted in favour of the Iraq war despite the majority of her constituent’s disagreement.
Clear Winner- There is no need for private deals to be done or coalitions to be formed by politicians and we know who is to form government
immediately after the election. For example under PR in Germany it took a month for the leading parties to form a coalition, thus the
country lacked effective leadership.
Disadvantages of FPTP –
Disproportionate results - The share of seats won is not proportionate to the share of votes won. For example in 1951 Labour won 48.8% of
votes, Conservatives won 48% of the votes but Conservatives won 26 more seats. In 1974 Labour won 37.2% of votes, Conservatives
won 37.9% of votes but Labour won 4 more seats.
Minority government - Governments are elected after winning only a minority of votes. In 2005 Labour won the election with only 35.2% of the
popular vote. This threatens both the legitimacy and the theory of mandate.
Smaller parties lose out - Smaller parties are unable to win seats because their votes are spread thinly instead of concentrated in one
constituency; Labour voters are concentrated in North England, inner cities, Scotland and Wales. Conservative voters are concentrated
in the South and South West and rural areas.
Wasted votes - Many votes cast do not have any impact on final result
Lack of choice - Voters only get one vote as voters cannot choose between candidates from the same party. In most constituencies,
it’s a two party contest.
Strong goverments & potential for small parites to gain too much power- don’t alwas occur even though it is a big pro to FPTP.
We had not had a strong gov in a long time until Cons 2019 majority win. Lib Dems gained power in a coalition (2010) although they
were not a top party
S in g le T ra n s f er ab le V o te - Proportional Representation. Used in Northern Ireland Assembly and European Parliament election in Northern
Ireland. Voters vote by ranking as many candidates as they want in order of preference. Any candidate which meets the quota after first preference votes are
counted as elected. When they hit the quota, their second and subsequent preferences are shared among other candidates. This process goes on until all the seats
have been filled.
Advantages –
Wider choice - Gives voters a wide choice so people may feel better represented if there is more of a variety of political candidates on offer to
choose from. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – South Antrim: there were 10 candidates to choose from.
Internal choice - Voters are able to choose candidates from the same party so it gives voters more choice, allowing them to choose
between candidates from the same party. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – South Antrim: 3 DUP candidates were
elected.
Representation - Each constituency has several seats available/allocated so voters are widely represented as more than one party is
representative of the constituency in accordance to the votes they receive – may increase turnout in the future if people feel more represented. In
2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – South Antrim: 6 assembly members were elected for the constituency from 10 candidates.
Proportional - Seats won are awarded in proportion to votes won so the result seems for legitimate to the public and people may feel better
represented. For example in 2011 Sinn Fein received 26% of the seats for 26% of the votes.
Disadvantages –
Complex - Complicated system that voters may not be able to understand which leads to voters feeling confused and may lead them to not
respect the legitimacy of the result and potentially deter them from voting the future, affecting turnout.
Internal conflict - Voters are able to choose candidates from the same party meaning candidates from the same party have to compete
against each other, which could cause conflict and splits in the party. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – South Antrim: 3 DUP
candidates were elected.
Unstable - Seats won are awarded in proportion to votes won so no single party gains a majority = power sharing – takes a long time to
pass decisions which could have a negative impact in events of crisis etc. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – Belfast South: 5
parties each gained a good share of the seats.
C lo s e d P a r ty L is t - Proportional Representation. Used in European Parliament elections (Except for Northern Ireland); Each party puts forward a list
of candidates. The order of these candidates on the list is decided by the party leader. Voters then vote by choosing their favourite party. When the votes are
counted, seats are awarded to each party roughly in proportion to the percentage of votes won. These seats are filled with representatives from the party’s lists, starting at
the top and working downwards.
Advantages –
Proportional - Awards seats broadly in proportion to the votes won, it means that votes for smaller parties are not wasted and better chance of
those who support smaller parties being represented. In 2014 UK elections to the European Parliament, the Green Party won 7% of
the votes (4% of seats).
Disperses power - Breaks the two party domination of Labour and Conservatives, it allows small parties to gain more votes and attracts more voters if
they know their vote will not be wasted. In the 2014 EU elections, UKIP managed 26% of the votes a 10% after the electoral system
was changed.
Equal votes - Party leaders decide the order and which candidates they put on their list, there are no safe/marginal seats, all votes counts
equally towards final result. In 2014 EU elections – UKIP won 4 seats in the South east England constituency.
Disadvantages –
Breaks the close links between voters and their representatives - Voters don’t feel represented because there is a lack of
connection to their elected representative which could result in voters feeling disengaged in the political process, possibly affecting turnout. Vast
majority of citizens cannot name their MEP.
Increases risk of extremism - Awards seats broadly in proportion to the votes won but extreme parties can win seats and gain power. In
2014 UK elections to the European Parliament , UKIP won 26% of the votes (24 seats)
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