Booklet 3 Electoral systems

• Supplementary vote (SV)

  Shortened version of AV. Two columns on the ballot paper- voters mark their first and second choice. First choices are counted and if candidate has 50% or more, they’re elected. If no candidate receives a majority, top two candidates continue to the second round, all others are eliminated. The second choice votes of everyone who’s first choice was eliminated are then counted. Any votes for the two candidates are added, the winner is whoever has the most votes.
• Additional Members System (hybrid)

  There are 2 ballot papers. On the 1st is a list of candidates who want to be the local MP. The voter marks their preferred candidate with a cross. On the 2nd is a list of parties who want seats in parliament with a list of their candidates. Voters vote to make more of the party’s candidates into MPs. In the 1st ballot paper, the candidate with the most votes in the constituency wins. In the second ballot paper, they add ‘additional members’ from the 1st ballot party lists to make parliament reflect the votes of the 2nd ballot too.
• Proportional Representation

  Describes any electoral system which produces institutions that are representative of the people who‘ve elected them
• Single Transferable Vote (Proportional system)

  • A constituency returns more than one member
  • To be elected, candidate must achieve the quota (take the number of votes and divide by number of seats, plus 1)
  • Voters vote for all the candidates in order of preference
  • Any candidate who achieves the quota is given a seat
  • After, the subsequent preferences are added to the remaining candidates
  • spare votes are redistributed until no one can achieve the quota. Bottom candidates are eliminated and their votes redistributed
• How does FPTP work?

  • simple plurality system
  • the person with the largest number of votes in a constituency wins
  • the party with the largest number of seats has the opportunity to form a government
• FPTP unfair statistics

  • 1992 Lib Dems had 17.8% of the vote and 20 seats, in 1997 they only got 16.7% of the vote but 46 seats. Less percentage of the vote but more seats = disadvantage of FPTP. They likely did this because they campaigned their policies
  • In 2010 Lib Dems got 23% of the vote and 57 seats, in 2015 SNP got 4.7% of the vote and 50 seats. Could be due to SNP support from the 2014 Scottish independence referendum
• FPTP Advantages

  • two-party system provides voters with a clear choice and the winning party has a clear mandate to govern
  • fast process, swift peaceful transition of power
  • creates a bond between MP and their constituent and MP can be held accountable
  • FPTP helps reflect regional differences e.g. SNP support in Scotland
  • extremist parties can’t gain power e.g. in 2010 BNP (British National Party, far-right and fascist) received 500k votes but no seats
  • voters have a simple choice on the ballot paper, easy
  • Political British tradition
• FPTP disadvantages

  • Government can be elected less 50% of the vote, lower support with turnout figures
  • outcome unfair, in 2019 LibDems won 12% of the vote but 2% of the seats
  • in 2005 Blair was re-elected with 35.2% of the vote, not legitimate
  • ’safe seats’
  • tactical voting, people vote for parties they don’t support
  • prevents new parties coming into the system. UKIP in 2015 got 1 seat for 4 million votes
  • not always a decisive government majority (2010, 2015, 2017)
  • advantage to parties with support in regions e.g. Conservatives in the south
• what type of system is supplementary vote (SV) ?

  majority system
• what does SV guarantee?

  It guarantees that the party in charge has 50% of the vote
• Where is supplementary vote used?

  In UK city mayoral elections and Police and Crime commissioner elections
• SV is a shortened version of AV (alternative vote)

  How AV works:

  • the public number the candidates
  • the candidate wins 50% or more= they win the 1st round
  • if 2nd round, lowest scoring candidates eliminated, add up all the second half preferences of the people who voted for the eliminated candidates
  • If there’s still no one with 50%, this process repeats until there is
• SV advantages

  • winner claims majority support, more legitimate
  • public feel more involved because of second preferences
  • representative
  • creates a strong single party government, a majority
  • relatively simple system, more simple than AV
• SV disadvantages

  • wasted votes, especially in the first round
  • tactical voting and safe seats (although less so than when vote for popular party is less than 50%
  • winning candidate may not have first choice support of an overall majority, second preferences
  • 2 party system prevents other parties coming in
  • more complicated than FPTP as you number all candidates, public required to be more politically aware to fully participate
• What did the Conservative government announce for future mayoral elections after 2021 and why?

  They announced a return to the first-past-the-post voting system to replace the supplementary vote system, to facilitate the Conservatives winning
• SV disadvantage statistic:

  2021 London Mayoral election saw many wasted votes. Sian Berry from the Green Party received 7.8% of the vote in the 1st round but they were all wasted because she was eliminated.

  Only Labour (Sadiq Khan) with 40% and Conservatives (Shaun Bailey) with 35.3% got to the second round. Encourages a two party system.
• Why did Conservatives get rid of SV system?

  because the second preferences favour left-wing parties
• Where is STV used?

  Norther Ireland, it was chosen to reflect the different sections of a very divided society and prevent Unionist parties gaining a majority
• Northern Ireland Assembly election in 2016 votes and seats via STV:

  • Democratic Unionists Party (DUP) won 38 seats with 29.2% first preference votes
  • Sinn Fein won 28 seats with 24% first preference votes

  Sinn Fein had a more proportionate seats to first preference vote outcome but they won less seats, STV could be considered unfair
• STV advantages

  • representation, proportional outcome increases legitimacy.
  • More representative because there are more MPs
  • less tactical voting and safe seats
  • multi-party system helps smaller parties come into power via a coalition gov
  • STV has been used since 1850s all around the world.
  • It’s a complex system but has evidently been successful
• STV disadvantages

  • six representatives, hard to hold MPs accountable
  • Undecided power in a coalition
  • Coalitions are less efficient, can facilitate extremist parties getting into power
  • complex system, quota system is hard to understand
  • Quota system takes a long time, nothing can get done politically during that time
• what type of system is single transferable vote?

  Proportional system
• what type of system is Additional Members system?

  Hybrid system
• AMS advantage statistic:

  In the Scottish elections to parliament 2016, SNP won 59 constituency seats which means they mathematically should’ve won 49% of the seats, they actually won 48.8% which proves that AMS is a fair and proportionate system
• In the result of the elections to Scottish parliament 2016, had it been conducted by FPTP, the SNP would’ve won 81% of seats, but under AMS they won 48.8% of seats which makes it a fairer system for smaller parties
• AMS disadvantages

  • lack of accountability
  • still some tactical voting
  • weaker government with coalitions
  • can result in the election of extremist candidates
  • more complex than FPTP
  • having two votes can confuse some voters
  • the list is less familiar and the top-up system is hard to understand
• Should there be UK electoral reform?

  • The Lib Dems have strongly argued for it for decades. They want STV
  • Labour want PR
  • Conservatives want FPTP
  • Labour and smaller parties like SNP, Greens and Plaid Cymru have also argued for electoral reform
• Electoral Reform: The Jenkins Commission

  • set up in December 1997 by Labour with Lib Dem support
  • investigates alternative systems to FPTP
  • they planned a referendum on whether to change FPTP

  The Commission was asked to take into account 4 requirements:

  1. broad proportionality
  2. the need for stable gov
  3. more voter choice 4. the maintenance of a link between MPs and constituencies
• The Jenkins Commission:

  • the commission in 1998 suggested the alternative vote top-up or AV+ system. STV was considered but was rejected because it was would require constituencies of around 350,000 electors
• 2011 referendum on electoral reform

  • Lib Dems said they’d push for AV+ in their manifesto but they pushed for AV
  • voters were asked to choose a method of voting in subsequent election. Proposal to introduce AV
  • The result was 32.1% yes and 67.9% no. National turnout was only 42%
  • Turnout was low because people didn’t like the question or didn’t care. It was too specific as many dislike AV.
• arguments for electoral reform:

  • FPTP not proportional - in 2015 election UKIP received 12.5% of the vote but 1 seat
  • SV doesn’t waste seats - second preferences of people who’s first preference party was eliminated are added to the 2 remaining parties
  • AMS allows smaller parties in - 9 representatives so more chance of a smaller party represented. Votes are converted to seats more fairly so each party has a more equal chance •STV leads to coalitions, unites parties. More legitimate, lets small parties in
• UK electoral systems:

  • FPTP - plurality, used in UK general elections, Welsh local elections
  • AMS - hybrid, Scottish parliamentary elections, Welsh assembly elections, Greater London elections.
  • STV - proportional, used in all N.Ireland elections in Scotland
  • SV - majority, used to be to elect city mayors but not used anymore
• Why do we have so many types of electoral system in UK since 1997?

  Devolution = we have power from Westminster to other areas. More central institution to sub-national institutions. More representation
• AV+ is like AMS but it results in a strong and stable government
• Why FPTP?


  FPTP encourages a two party system which was successful in the post-war era, as it produces strong govs which could deliver their mandates. However, govs are very powerful nowadays and parties often take control for long periods - Tories have been in power since 2010
• what government and party are formed under FPTP?

  Majority government

  Two-party system
• what government and party and formed under SV?

  Majority government

  one-party
• what government and party and formed under AMS?

  Hybrid government

  multi-party system
• what government and party and formed under STV?

  coalition government

  multi-party system
• The impact of an electoral system on voter choice:

  • FPTP - tactical voting, safe seats, wasted votes, limited importance of minor parties
  • SV - minor parties matter, no safe seats, no tactical voting
  • STV - minor parties matter, wasted votes, no safe seats, no tactical voting
  • AMS - minor parties matter, wasted votes, no safe seats, no tactical voting