Supplementary Vote (SV) Flashcards
Majoritarian
Needs to win an overall majority of votes
i.e. more than 50%
What is it ?
Cross between Alternative vote & French Double Ballot
Where is it used?
London Mayoral Elections
Sadiq Khan- claimed 56.8% of the London electorate,
How does it work?
You have 2 choices
For a candidate to win outright following the first round of voting, he or she must gain over 50% of the first preference votes
If no candidate achieves this, all but the top two candidates are eliminated from the race and their second preference votes are reallocated
Advantages!!!!!!
Likely to lead to Majority Gov
Retains single member constituency link
Avoids counting of weak preferences as only first and second choice are recorded in the ballot box
The winning candidate must have secured wide-ranging support
Disadvantages!!!!!
Not proportional not complete arithmetical justice
Turnout in the London mayoral elections has always fallen significantly below that of UK General Elections: 45.3% in 2016
FPTP is not thought significantly better but it does seem to have broader public support and a greater ability to secure participation, although this might owe more to the primary nature of General Elections compared to more limited regional settings.