Elections And Referendums: The Main Electoral Systems Used in The UK, And Their Advantages And Disadvantages

Question 1

What are the electoral systems used in the UK?

Answer 1

First-Past-The-Post (FPTP): used in general election and English local elections
Party list proportional (List PR) or D’Hondt system: used in European Elections
Additional member system (AMS): used in Scottish and Welsh parliaments
Single transferable vote (STV): used in Northern Ireland Assembly and Scottish local council elections
Alternative vote (AV): used in the elections of parliamentary select committee chairs

Question 2

What are the key details that would occur if every electoral system sued in the UK was used for the 2019 general election?

Answer 2

Only FPTP would have produced a government with an overall Commons majority
The Conservatives and SNP would gain fewer MPs using alternative voting systems
The Lib Dems would benefit the most from electoral reform
The smaller parties would fare best under AMS compared with other alternative electoral systems

Question 3

How does FPTP work?

Answer 3

Works on the majoritarian principle that the candidate with the largest number of votes in each constituency wins the seats, those who are runners up receive nothing, its a winner takes all mentality

Question 4

How does List PR work?

Answer 4

Instead of electing one person per constituency as with FPTP, in List PR system each area is bigger, electing a group of MPs that more closely reflects the way the area voted, so instead of 650 individual constituencies with 1 MP, it might be 26 large constituencies with 25 MPs

Question 5

How did the List PR system elect MPs in the UK European Parliament elections?

Answer 5

At the start of each round, the total votes for each party received at the start of the process are divided by the number of seats the party has already won, plus one, and the party with the highest remaining total wins the seat at that round

Question 6

How does AMS work?

Answer 6

Voters have two ballot papers and two votes, the first is a list of candidates standing to be the constituency representative, the second is a list of part standing in that region, with the first ballot being a ‘winner takes all’ basis while the second regional list ballot are counted and the overall share of the vote is calculated, if a party wins few constituency seats than its overall share entitles it to, the ‘extra’ is made up from seats allocated to the second ballot, making the regional list a ‘top up’ of underrepresentation from the constituency results

Question 7

What is AMS a hybrid system between?

Answer 7

A mixture of FPTP and List PR

Question 8

Where is AMS used in the UK?

Answer 8

Scottish and Welsh parliaments and the London Assembly

Question 9

Where is STV currently used?

Answer 9

European elections in Northern Ireland and Scottish local council elections

Question 10

How does STV work?

Answer 10

Multi-member constituencies where voters rank their choices in order of preference, a quota is worked out based on the number of seats and the total number of votes cast, a candidate who has more first preference votes than the quota is immediately elected, surplus votes are transferred to other candidates in proportion to the second preference marked on the ballots received by that candidate, if more candidates than seats remain, the candidates with the fewest votes is eliminated, their votes are transferred to other candidates as determined by the voters second preference

Question 11

What is AV?

Answer 11

Alternative vote

Question 12

How does AV work?

Answer 12

The voter adds a number by the name for each candidate, with one for their favourite and so on, if a candidate receives more than half the votes in the first stage that candidate us elected, if nobody gets half, whichever candidate came last is elicited and their second preference votes are redistributed, the process is repeated until one candidate gets at least half the vote

Question 13

What does AV ensure in a candidate?

Answer 13

that the winning MP has the support of the majority of voters

Question 14

How can we analysis FPTP evaluating it with its proportionality and a fair result?

Answer 14

The number of seats does not directly reflected the proportion of votes cast for each part, it tends to exaggerate the performance of the winning party plodding a ‘winner’s bonus’

Question 15

How can we analysis List PR evaluating it with its proportionality and a fair result?

Answer 15

List PR are very copse and reflects actual vote share of the parties

Question 16

How can we analysis AMS evaluating it with its proportionality and a fair result?

Answer 16

As its a hybrid system between FPTP and List Pr, it results in a fair result and is largely proportionate

Question 17

How can we analysis STV evaluating it with its proportionality and a fair result?

Answer 17

STV tends to deliver results tray accurate reflect overall share of the vote and is one of the most preferred by advocates of a more proportional system such as the Electoral Reform Society (ERS)

Question 18

How can we analysis AV evaluating it with its proportionality and a fair result?

Answer 18

AV is not a promotional system, and one study of the 2017 election predicted AV would be have a less proportionate than FPTP

Question 19

How can we analysis FPTP evaluating it with its vote value?

Answer 19

This fares badly, leading to many ‘wasted’ votes

Question 20

How can we analysis List PR evaluating it with its vote value?

Answer 20

As a proportional system, there is much less chance of votes being wasted, and a wide range of parties can be expected to win

Question 21

How can we analysis AMS evaluating it with its vote value?

Answer 21

There is less chance of votes fro smaller parties, though as with List PR, where sears are awarded on a regional not national list, the smallest parties remain unlikely to secure any seats

Question 22

How can we analysis STV evaluating it with its vote value?

Answer 22

The system of preferential voting certainly reduces the potential for wasted votes

Question 23

How can we analysis AV evaluating it with its vote value?

Answer 23

AV fares relatively well, and removes the temptation for tactical voting

Question 24

How can we analysis FPTP evaluating it with its promoting participation and turnout?

Answer 24

Some argue FPTP discourages participation because it disincentives supporters of smaller parties to turn out and votes s their vote will probably be wasted

Question 25

How can we analysis List PR evaluating it with its promoting participation and turnout?

Answer 25

In reality it should boost votes as far fewer votes are wasted, though historically it elections are low that can be attributed to the elections having less public interest

Question 26

How can we analysis AMS evaluating it with its promoting participation and turnout?

Answer 26

Comparing to Scottish and Welsh election there is no clear proof it boosts turnout, though maybe not tested nationally

Question 27

How can we analysis STV evaluating it with its promoting participation and turnout?

Answer 27

It has higher turnout than others for European elections in Northern Ireland, though Northern Ireland is traditionally more politically active

Question 28

How can we analysis AV evaluating it with its promoting participation and turnout?

Answer 28

The absence of wasted votes should in theory encourage participation and turnout

Question 29

How can we analysis FPTP evaluating it with its strong and accountable government?

Answer 29

FPTP has traditionally produced clear and decisive results, enabling one party to govern with a decency majority

Question 30

How can we analysis List PR evaluating it with its strong and accountable government?

Answer 30

List PR inevitably produces election results in which no one party secures majority of seats

Question 31

How can we analysis AMS evaluating it with its strong and accountable government?

Answer 31

AMS almost inevitably produce a minority government

Question 32

How can we analysis STV evaluating it with its strong and accountable government?

Answer 32

STV also almost inevitably produces coalition or multiparty government

Question 33

How can we analysis AV evaluating it with its strong and accountable government?

Answer 33

AV is the system most likely tp produce single-party government

Question 34

How can we analysis FPTP evaluating it with its local links?

Answer 34

FPTP does well locally as every constituency has a MP to represent them

Question 35

How can we analysis List PR evaluating it with its local links?

Answer 35

Scores poorly in local links as even if broken down into regions, the MPs still represent thousands of constituents

Question 36

How can we analysis AMS evaluating it with its local links?

Answer 36

It offers a local link not present with List PR, though it creates the potential to create a two-tier system of elected representatives, and they might therefore lack a direct mandate

Question 37

How can we analysis STV evaluating it with its local links?

Answer 37

STV does well locally, as there is still elected members to represent a geographical area, albeit a larger one than FPTP

Question 38

How can we analysis AV evaluating it with its local links?

Answer 38

Pretty much the same as FPTP, very well locally

Question 39

Which electoral system does well with the power of the party and allows much of the central of the parties power?

Answer 39

List PR, AMS, STV

Question 40

Which electoral systems have good party representation and choice?

Answer 40

List PR, AMS, and STV while the worst FPTP and AV with AV often having the ‘least worst’ candidate winning

Question 41

What electoral systems are good comprehensibility and transparency wise?

Answer 41

FPTP and AV, as they are easy to understand