A table with descriptions, examples and explanations of voting systems that are in the UK or are alternatives to the existing First Past the Post system in Westminster.
Voting System Table
Saturday, 8 June, 2024 10:07 PM
Initial Full name Type of electoral Positives Negatives Currently used in...? How it works
system
FPTP First Past the First Past the Post – - Link with local community - Smaller parties are disadvantaged House of Commons 1 MP would represent a constituency. You vote for 1
Post Electoral Reform - Clear winner in elections and each - Wasted votes Local Council elections candidate and whoever gets a plurality of votes wins
Society – ERS constituency - Seats gained in parliament may not
(electoral- - Easy, understood by the public represent proportionally how many
reform.org.uk) - Transparent people voted for them
STV Single What-is-STV.pdf - Voters have more choice - Rural areas may become part of very Australia You rank all the candidates and place a number on each. The
Transferable (electoral- - Fewer wasted votes large constituencies Malta first choice would get your vote but if no one gets 50% and
vote reform.org.uk) - Still keeps the link with local communities as it - It takes a longer period of time to Scotland your first-choice voter gets knocked out, your second choice
keeps constituencies count the votes gets your vote in a second round. This will continue until a
Single Transferable - More incentives for MPs to campaign and take - Large amounts of candidates in candidate gets 50% of the votes
Vote – Electoral more care of their constituents as there are no constituencies could lead to confusing
Reform Society – ERS safe seats with STV ballot papers
(electoral- - Can lower their trust in the system
reform.org.uk)
SV Supplementary Supplementary Vote – - Simpler than STV - Low proportionality Mayor of London You put an X next to your favourite candidate in 1 column,
Vote Electoral Reform - Less safe seats - Smaller parties don't really benefit and then another X in the 2nd column. If no one gets 50%,
Society – ERS - More choices than FPTP - Could end up with an unpopular only the top 2 will go in the runoff. If your first choice goes
(electoral- - Candidates work harder to get a majority winner (people vote based on who through, the vote would remain the same, if he/she doesn't
reform.org.uk) - Clear winner they hate the least) go through, your vote will go to the second choice candidate
- Wasted votes
AMS Additional Additional Member - More choices - Could weaken local democratic choice London Assembly They use FPTP in the first ballot to pick a proportion of MPs
Member System – Electoral - More proportional - Parties can control the regional lists for Senedd and a number of seats is saved for the 2nd ballot. That group
System Reform Society – ERS - Advantages smaller parties those seats of seats will be allocated to each party based on how the
(electoral- - More views are represented - Has multiple representatives people voted (e.g. Labour gets 20% of the votes, they get
reform.org.uk) - Every vote counts - 2 tier system, coalition 20% of the seats allocated)
- Local link is still there
Party List Party List Proportional - Proportional - No link to local constituencies Netherlands Parties presents a list of candidates ranked in order to the
Representation – - Low barrier to entry - Certain quotas needed to have the Israel electorate and voters will pick the party. Then whatever
Electoral Reform - Smaller parties could be able to win representation may block small parties Spain (Provinces) percentage of votes a party gets is the percentage of how
Society – ERS (e.g. a quota of 5% is needed to be Finland (Provinces) many candidates they get in Parliament. (e.g. a party gets
(electoral- represented in parliament, meaning 20% of the votes, they get 20% of the list from the top of the
reform.org.uk) you can't get 1% of the vote and be in list to the bottom)
Parliament)
03. Electoral Systems Page 1
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