First Past the Post

• An electoral system is the method by which electors (citizens who vote) cast their vote and the winner is decided.
• Single Transferable Vote (STV) is used in Scottish Councils.
• Additional Member System (AMS) is used in the Scottish Parliament.
• First Past the Post (FPTP) is used to elect the UK Parliament (Westminster) (General Elections).
• The UK is divided into 650 constituencies, each with one elected representative.
• In First Past the Post (FPTP), voters put one cross in the box next to the candidate they want to vote for.
• The candidate with the most votes (more than anyone else) wins the constituency seat.
• The party with the most overall seats is the winner in First Past the Post (FPTP).
• A General Election is a series of mini-elections across the UK in each constituency to elect local representatives (MPs).
• In First Past the Post (FPTP), a party needs over half the seats in the House of Commons to govern effectively.
• In the 2019 General Election, the Scottish National Party’s Allan Dorrans won the most votes than any other candidate (2329 more votes than the next biggest party, Conservative) and so therefore won the constituency seat.
• In First Past the Post (FPTP), a party or candidate can win a constituency seat with less than half the votes which means that a majority of constituents are unhappy with the result.
• The overall winner of the General Election is the party that gains the most constituency seats.
• In the 2019 General Election, the conservatives won 365 of the total 650 seats.
• As the conservatives won more seats than anyone else (162 more than Labour, the second biggest party), they were declared the winners.
• As the conservatives also won more than half (325), they formed a majority government.
• FPTP can limit the success of smaller parties as it makes it extremely difficult for smaller parties to achieve representation as they are highly unlikely to win a majority of votes in a single constituency.
• FPTP is a system that creates a strong government as it is more likely that a party will command a majority in the House of Commons.
• In the 2015 General Election, the highest voter turnout in 18 years was recorded with 66% of the electorate casting their vote.
• Support for FPTP could decline if it continues to produce disproportionate election results.
• FPTP creates a two-party system dominated by the Conservatives and Labour as it doesn't require the government to have a majority of votes behind it in order to govern and creates a minority rule.
• The disproportionate nature of FPTP means that the number of votes cast does not reflect the number of seats won by a party.
• Disadvantages of FPTP include its unfair and disproportionate results, its tendency to create a two-party system dominated by the Conservatives and Labour, and its difficulty in representing smaller parties.
• FPTP tackles the threat of extremist parties as it makes it difficult for smaller parties with more extreme views to secure seats in parliament.
• FPTP is a straightforward voting system which is easy to understand as the 'winner takes all' principle encourages higher voter turnout.
• FPTP is a system that encourages higher voter turnout which in turn enhances political engagement.
• The disproportionate nature of FPTP has led to it being labelled as a broken system.
• Many would argue that disillusionment with FPTP has contributed to political disengagement but voter turnout has been at its strongest in years.
• Advantages of FPTP include its straightforwardness and the fact that the 'winner takes all' principle encourages higher voter turnout.
• 2017 witnessed a voter turnout of 68% and the 2019 General Election witnessed only a 1% drop.
• FPTP can cause an increase in tactical voting as voters are forced to choose a lesser evil because they know that their preferred candidate stands little chance of success.