3.1a FPTP & STV Flashcards
First Past the Post
First past the post (FPTP) is a simple plurality system where the candidate with the most votes will be elected and does not have to win by a certain majority.
FPTP is used in UK general elections where voters cast one vote for their preferred candidate, and the candidate with the largest number of votes in a constituency (seat) will be elected to Parliament as an MP.
There are 650 constituencies in the UK.
The party with the most seats can form a government.
First Past the Post: Advantages
FPTP often leads to a strong government with a clear mandate to carry out its policies because the winning party can win a clear majority.
FPTP gives voters a clear choice and promotes a system where two parties dominate.
In 1997 Tony Blair carried out constitutional reforms after a large election victory where Labour won 418 seats.
First Past the Post: Advantages 2
FPTP provides strong representation in the UK with small constituencies having a single MP to represent their interests.
MPs hold surgeries to listen to their needs and offer advice.
The average constituency size in England is 72,000.
FPTP is simple and easy for voters to understand because voters choose one candidate with a single vote, and the winning party is the one with the most seats.
First Past the Post: Disadvantages
FPTP is not a proportional system as votes do not translate into seats. FPTP benefits parties with a concentrated support, whilst parties with more thinly spread support win fewer seats.
In the 2015 general election, the SNP’s 1.4 million votes were highly concentrated in Scotland and translated into 56 seats whilst UKIP’s 3.8 million votes translated into 1 seat.
First Past the Post: Disadvantages 2
There is limited choice for some voters in FPTP because many seats are safe seats where the MP has a secure majority and it is very unlikely that another candidate will win the election.
Theresa May’s constituency, Maidenhead, is a safe seat with the Conservatives winning over 60% of the vote in 2017.
People voting other parties may feel as though their vote is wasted.
In 2017, the North East Fife Constituency saw 67% of votes wasted for losing candidates with the SNP winning the constituency by a majority of 2 votes.
First Past the Post: Disadvantages 3
FPTP often results in a government being elected with a minority of the popular vote (less than 50%) which weakens the government’s mandate.
People may also consider a government with a minority of the popular vote as being unrepresentative of the will of the people.
As MPs only need to win by one more vote than other candidates, they can be elected with a minority of the popular vote (less than 50%).
Single Transferable Vote
STV divides a country into multi-member constituencies.
Under a system of STV, voters number their choice of candidate in order of preference.
Candidates require a certain quota to be elected, which is calculated by dividing the total votes cast by (the number of seats contested in the constituency plus one), and then adding one (the Droop formula).
If no candidate reaches the quota on the first round of voting then the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated and the second preference of voters supporting them are redistributed.
Single Transferable Vote: Advantages 1
STV offers a large choice for voters because multi-member constituencies mean that voters can choose between candidates from the same party and from different parties.
In the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) had 3 candidates and Alliance had 2 candidates standing in the Belfast East constituency.
Encourages positive campaigning, because candidates wish to gain transferred votes from other candidates.
Single Transferable Vote: Advantages 2
Under a system of STV, votes and seats are highly proportional to one another.
Parties with a more thinly distributed vote can win seats unlike in FPTP.
There are fewer wasted votes because voters second preferences are transferred to another candidate if their first preference candidate is eliminated.
Single Transferable Vote: Disadvantages
In the system of STV, the link between members and voters can be weak because there are many members representing the same constituents rather than one member.
The voting system is more complicated than FPTP and takes longer to reach a final result, particularly if there are many rounds of counts where candidates are eliminated.
Donkey voting can take place where voters rank the candidates in the order they appear on the ballot paper, rather than ordering based on their preference.
First Past The Post vs Single Transferable Vote: Strength of government
FPTP is likely to produce a government with a stronger mandate to govern than under STV.
Under STV a coalition government is most likely which can lead to instability and less effective policymaking than under a FPTP system which can produce a one party winner.
A coalition government is a government made up of more than one party.
STV can also result in a minority government which is a government that runs the country but without a majority of seats in the legislature.
First Past The Post vs Single Transferable Vote: FPTP not strong government
FPTP can result in a minority government, as with the Conservative government in 2017.
FPTP can result in a coalition government, as with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in 2010.
However, under FPTP a coalition or minority government are less likely.
First Past The Post vs Single Transferable Vote: Choice of candidates
FPTP offers voters a limited choice of candidates, with one candidate per party in each constituency.
STV offers more choice with voters able to choose between multiple candidates from the same party.
First Past The Post vs Single Transferable Vote: Outcome fairness
FPTP is less proportional in transferring votes into seats, whilst STV translates votes into seats more fairly.
Under STV smaller parties and parties with a more thinly spread support are better represented than under FPTP.
In the 2017 general election which uses FPTP, the Liberal Democrats won over 7% of the vote but under 2% of seats in Parliament.
UKIP won 600,000 votes but no seats.
First Past The Post vs Single Transferable Vote: Representative link
FPTP provides a strong link between politicians and the voters who they represent.
Under FPTP in the UK general election, there are small constituencies with a single MP to represent them.
STV can provide a weaker link between representatives and voters because of large multi-member constituencies where many members represent the same constituents.
In the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, there are 5 members representing each constituency.
