| Features: | Advantages: | Disadvantages: |
FPTP (general election) | constituency system (650 single-member parliamentary constituencies) aim is for a party to achieve a majority of seats to form a govt voters select single candidate - do so by marking the candidate’s name with an X on the ballot paper constituencies roughly equal
| often produces a single-party majority govt simple to understand close MPs public link prevent extremist parties from gaining power creates coherent parliamentary opposition
| minority of the vote (total votes against winning candidate is usually more than just the candidate’s eg 35% = win vs 65% divided in 34% and less) lack of regular fair representation eg in 2019, labour = 18% in Scotland = 1MP vs libdems = 9.5% = 4MPs tactical voting eg one may vote against a candidate they dislike within safe constituency
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Supplementary Vote (alternative vote system - referendum on it in 2011, used in all mayoral elections, police n crime commissioner elections) | single-member constituencies electors have 2 votes; 1st preference n 2nd supplementary vote winning candidates must gain min. of 50% of all votes cast voters counted according to 1st preference if no candidate reaches 50% in the first round > top 2 candida- tes remain in election, all others drop out, votes redistributed on the basis of their 2nd vote candidate with most first-choice n second-choice votes is elected means that voters should consider which candidates will reach the final run-off n which way to vote tactically if they want their vote to count 2021: london mayor election - sadiq khan won 1.325 mil votes/2.53mil
| easy n simple to understand incentive: second preference votes = positive campaigning maintains tradish links between mps n constituents also penalises extremist parties - unlikely to get 1st pref votes still usually results in single-party majority govt marginally more proportional than fptp preferential voting allows systems to elect the candidates on majorities not pluralities
| no guarantee there will be 50% support as proportion of supplementary votes will be for those who have dropped out to succeed, they have to be first choice with a substantial number of voters if there are 2+ strong candidates, voters must guess which 2 will make the final round does not produce very proportionate results, would under-rep smaller parties it is possible for a high number of voters’ first choices to be excluded in round and for their 2nd choice to not be in round 2
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Additional Member System (used in scottish n welsh parliaments - wales until 2026, london assembly) | constituency + party list elements proportion of seats filled by fptp, using single member constituencies remaining seats filled using ‘closed’ party list system electors cast 2 votes: 1 for candidate (FPTP) »,1 for party w/ proportional rep
| balances need for constituency representation against need for electoral fairness broadly proportional in terms of its outcomes, keeps alive single-party govt possibility allows voters to make wider and more considered choices allows voters to express personal support for a candidate, whilst voting for a diff party each voter has a directly accountable single-constituency rep each voter has at least one effective vote creates excellent proportionality
| retention of single member constituencies reduces likelihood of high levels of proportionality constituency rep is less effective due to large constituencies system creates confusion w/ having 2 classes of rep gives rise to ‘overhang’ seats: party wins more seats via the constituency vote than it is entitled to according to its proportional vote can be complicated (used in
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Single Transferrable Vote (used in northern ireland, republic of ireland, malta, local scottish elections, australia) | candidates numbered 1 to 5 by voters, from favourite to least | | |
Party List system (Wales from 2026, European Parliament until 2019) | Each party presents a list of candidates for a particular district, for which several representatives will be elected Each voter casts a vote for the list of their preferred party and the seats for the district are distributed proportionally to the number of votes each party list received
| wide range of parties to choose from » countries that use party-list proportional representation tend to form multi-parties governments Open list systems can make candidates more responsive to voters Closed list systems are easy to understand
| Party-list systems can give too much power to parties » lots of power to parties, local party members have no say There is less of an MP constituency link Party-list systems tend to produce more coalition governments
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Studied by 9 people
