AMS

Question 1

how does it work?

Answer 1

• voter is given two ballots
• purple ballot is the candidate vote (constituency vote)
• peach ballot is the party vote (regional vote)

Question 2

what is the constituency vote? (purple)

Answer 2

voters vote using FPTP for a representative and those elected win a seat in Scottish Parliament/Welsh Assembly

Question 3

what is the regional vote?

Answer 3

the ballots from the constituency are counted within each region and the d’Hondt formula is used to decide who gets the first seat

Question 4

advantages of AMS

Answer 4

• produces a proportional outcome and is fair to all parties
• voters have two votes (more choice)
• helps smaller parties gain more recognition

Question 5

disadvantages of AMS

Answer 5

• more complex than FPTP, having 2 votes can confuse voters, people don’t understand the process
• can result in the election of extremist candidates