Voting systems

• Constituency


  An electoral district that elects one Member of Parliament
• There are 650 constituencies
• The average number of voters in a constituency is roughly 75,000, however there is considerable variation
• There are plans to reduce the number of constituencies, and therefore MPs, to 600
• Simple plurality system


  The candidate with the largest number of votes in a constituency is elected as MP even if they don't win a majority of the votes cast
• Government formation


  The party/number of parties (if it is a coalition) with a majority of MPs in parliament forms the government
• UK General elections take place at the discretion of the Prime Minister, and have to take place every 5 years, but are often called more often than this
• Advantages of FPTP


  • Speed and Simplicity
  • Strong Single Party Governments
• Speed and Simplicity


  • Extremely easy to use for voters, who only have to select one candidate/party
  • The result is usually known early in the morning after polling day and the government is quickly formed, with a swift and orderly transfer of power
  • In 1997, Tony Blair arrived at Downing Street as the new Prime Minister at 1pm on the day after the election
  • In 2019, the first constituency result (Newcastle Central) was announced at 23:36 on the day of the election
• The simplicity and familiarity of FPTP can be seen as key factors in the public support for it, as shown in the 2011 Alternative Vote (AV) referendum, in which 68% of those who voted voted against changing the electoral system, on a 42% turnout
• Under a more proportional system where coalitions are more likely, forming a government often takes longer as it has to follow negotiations between party leaders
• FPTP (First Past the Post)


  • Gives voters a clear choice
  • Usually results in a single party government
  • Enables prompt and decisive government action
• FPTP in the 1980s


  Enabled Thatcher to bring about widespread changes to the economy
• FPTP in 1997


  Gave Blair's government the mandate to carry out extensive constitutional reforms
• FPTP


  Forces voters to prioritise key issues like Brexit over other political views
• FPTP


  • Reduces the success of extremist parties by requiring geographically concentrated support
• Extremist party under FPTP

  • In 2010, the British National Party (BNP) won 2% of the national vote but didn't finish higher than 3rd in any constituency
• Extremist party under proportional representation

  • In the 2009 European Parliament elections, the BNP won 6.2% of votes and 2 seats
• FPTP


  • Results in effective representation of local interests and a strong link between the constituency and MP
• MP-constituency link under FPTP

  • In 2023, 22 Conservative MPs rebelled against their party whip to support a Labour amendment aimed at speeding up compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal, influenced by strong local movements and victims in their constituencies
• MPs handle correspondence from their constituents, problems their constituents have and hold weekly constituency surgeries
• Limited Voter Choice under FPTP


  • Each party puts forward just one candidate, so there is no choice between different strands of the main parties, which are broad churches
  • Voters only get one vote and therefore can't rank their preferences or reflect their political views/preferences more fully, as a system like AMS or STV allows
• Votes for the party that doesn't win in a constituency are effectively wasted
• Tactical Voting under FPTP

  • Many voters who live in constituencies in which their preferred party is highly unlikely to win vote for a different party to try and prevent their least favourite party winning in their constituency
  • Voters are therefore prevented from voting for the party they actually support
• YouGov data commissioned by the Electoral Reform Society (a pressure group) indicated that 32% of voters voted tactically in the 2019 election
• Unequal Value of Votes under FPTP

  • A vote in a smaller constituency counts for more than it does in a larger constituency
  • Difference between safe and marginal seats - in safe seats, many voters have little hope of seeing their favoured candidate winning, leading to depressed turnout, while in marginal seats, votes matter a lot more, leading to higher turnout
• Safe seat


  • South Staffordshire, which has elected a Conservative MP in every election since its creation in 1983, with Gavin Williamson winning 73% of the vote in 2019
• Marginal seat


  • Thanet South, Kent, which has been won by the winning party at every General Election since its creation
• The number of marginal seats has been decreasing
• Ineffective Choosing of Governments under FPTP

  • Single party governments can be seen as negative, especially as they don't command a majority of votes across the country and have major power in parliament, leading to huge changes being initiated by governments with limited legitimacy
  • FPTP has also recently failed to deliver single party, majority governments, with a coalition in 2010 and a minority government in 2017
  • Prior to the 2024 local elections, there were 91 local councils in England with no overall control, where coalitions are necessary, showing that FPTP doesn't always result in majority governments
• In Northern Ireland following the 2023 local elections (which use STV), only 1 out of the 11 local councils has majority control, showing how FPTP is much more likely to produce majority governments
• FPTP has survived largely because it suits the interests of the two main parties, who have monopolised government since WWII
• Labour offered a referendum on FPTP in their 1997 election manifesto, but had no incentive to deliver it after winning a large independent majority under the current system
• The 2011 AV referendum was only agreed to by the Conservatives after the Liberal Democrats insisted on it in coalition negotiations
• The electoral system is the method used to determine who wins an election.
• Elections are held at different levels, including local elections (e.g., city council), state/provincial elections (e.g., governor or premier), national elections (e.g., president or prime minister), and international elections (e.g., United Nations).
• There are two main types of voting systems: majoritarian and proportional representation.