Elections and referendums - electoral systems (not finished)

First Past the Post (FPTP)

• voter chooses one candidate in their constituency

• the candidate with the most votes wins the elections - winner takes all

• safe seats

  • when a constituency has always resulted in the same party

  • e.g. Islington has always had the safe seat of the labour party

advantages of FPTP

• simple to understand - person with the most votes win

• quick to count votes and declare the results

disadvantages of FPTP

• can result in disproportionate outcomes

• wasted votes

  • safe seats - if you vote for a party that is not the safe seat party in that constituency your vote is essentially “wasted”

• encourages tactical voting

  • not voting on preference but rather on who they think will win

Single Transferable Vote (STV)

• voters rank the candidates in order of preference

• candidates need to reach a quote to be elected

  • quota - the minimum number of votes a candidate needs to be elected

advantages of STV

• proportional votes

• reduces more wasted votes

  • their votes represent how many seats that party gets

• gives voters more choice as you are ranking

disadvantages of STV

• complex counting process

  • long time to get the results

• may be confusing for voters to understand

Alternative Voting (AV)

• voters ranking the candidates in order of preference

• a candidate must reach 50% to win

• if none of the candidates reach 50%, the candidates with the lowest votes is eliminated, and the votes are redistributed among the voters other choices

advantages of AV

• eliminates tactical voting

• ensures broader support for the candidates

disadvantages of AV

• more complex than FPTP

• may not be proportionate