majoritarian voting systems

Question 1

how does alternative vote (AV) work?

Answer 1

at the ballot box, you number the candidates in order of preference
the least popular candidate is eliminated, and the vote is redistributed until the winning candidate has 50%

Question 2

where is AV used?

Answer 2

labour leader elections

Question 3

what are the advantages of AV?

Answer 3

-MPs must win a majority
-reduces need for tactical voting
-MPs theoretically have to campaign more broadly and appeal to more voters

Question 4

what are the disadvantages of AV?

Answer 4

-could produce and even less proportional result than FPTP
-might lead to more coalitions as 3rd parties could win more seats
-unequal votes - supporters of unpopular candidates who are eliminated first get their votes counted more than once

Question 5

how does supplementary vote (SV) work?

Answer 5

voters pick two favourite candidates and rank them in order of preference
if no candidate immediately gets 50%, all but the top two candidates are eliminated and their second preference votes are redistributed

Question 6

where is SV used?

Answer 6

london mayor elections

Question 7

what are the advantages of SV?

Answer 7

-less safe seats
-most likely produces a stable government
-givers voters greater choice

Question 8

what are the disadvantages of SV?

Answer 8

-not very proportional
-smaller parties do not benefit
-coalition governements more likely