additional member system

• What is the Additional Member System (AMS)?


  A mixed electoral system that combines elements of First Past the Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR)
• What are the two types of votes in AMS?

  1) Constituency vote for a local candidate, 2) Regional list vote for a political party
• How are seats allocated in AMS?

  1) Constituency seats via FPTP, 2) Regional list seats to make the overall result more proportional
• What is the purpose of the regional list seats in AMS?


  To compensate for any disproportionality in the constituency seats and make the overall result more proportional
• What is an advantage of AMS?

  It allows smaller parties to gain representation even if they don't win any constituency seats
• What is a potential disadvantage of AMS?

  It can create a perceived hierarchy between directly elected constituency MPs and list MPs
• How can AMS lead to coalition governments?


  The more proportional nature of the system often results in no single party having a majority