SV

• Supplementary Vote (SV)


  Electoral system used in elections for the London Mayor and other elected mayors, as well as Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales
• The Elections Act 2022 passed by the Conservative government has now scrapped the use of Supplementary Vote
• Scrapping Supplementary Vote


  Results in candidates with less popular support being elected, which then benefits the Tories locally as the left wing vote is split between the Lib Dems and Labour
• Supplementary Vote


  • Each voter is allowed a first and second preference vote
  • Any candidate who receives more than 50% of the first preference votes is selected automatically
  • If no candidate receives more than 50% of the first preference votes, all candidates except the top two are eliminated and second preference votes for the two candidates are added to produce an overall winner
• Bedford Mayoral Election


  • Conservative candidate Tom Wooton won with 33% of the vote, compared to 32% for the Lib Dem candidate and 24% for the Labour candidate
• If the election had been conducted by FPTP (First Past the Post)


  The Lib Dem candidate would've likely won, as most of the Labour votes would've been allocated to the Lib Dems in the second round
• Due to the system being changed to FPTP


  The Conservative candidate won with 33% of the vote, showing the impact of different electoral systems on the outcome and how FPTP results in candidates with less popular support being elected, which often benefits the Tories locally as the left wing vote is split
• Advantages of Supplementary Vote

  • Ensures broad support for the winner
  • Simple and straightforward to use
  • Gives voters greater choice than FPTP as they can indicate a second preference
• Disadvantages of Supplementary Vote

  • The winner does not need to get an absolute majority of the votes
  • To have influence over the outcome, voters need to be able to identify the likely top candidates which is not always clear
• Both Supplementary Vote and Alternative Vote were considered, but Supplementary Vote was chosen partly because it was simpler to use
• Supplementary Vote was also preferred as only the top two candidates after the first preferences had been counted would make it into the final round, meaning candidates with little positive support would be less likely to win