Aims: Understand the UK elections Understand the system of first past the post

1. UK Voting Systems Aims: Understand the UK elections Understand the system of first past the post Know the arguments for and against

2. The Facts • First Past the Post is the system used to elect MPS in the House of Commons. • The candidate who gets the most votes in the constituency becomes MP. • The candidate only has to get one more vote than the next candidate to win. • Each MP has a seat in the House of Commons there are 650 seats. • The political party with the majority MPS becomes the government. The party with the second highest number of seats becomes the opposition.

3. First past the post is used in the UK. The candidate with the most votes becomes the MP and the party with the majority of MPs becomes the government. The Facts

4. First past the post Advantages • It is easy to understand • Voters only have to put a cross beside the candidate of their choice. • The candidate with the most votes wins the seat. • The party with the most seats becomes the government • Usually one party wins the election and can run the county without any problems • For example in 2005 labour won a majority of 48 • When the labour government put through a bill if all the labour MPs voted then it would pass, even if the other parties do not agree.

5. First past the post Advantages • The party that come second become the opposition • They will monitor the government and keep a close eye on them. • The government will also look to gain support from the opposition to help pass bills. • Less likely to form a coalition • Parties have to compromise which will mean they will not get to put in place the policies they promise. • Arguments are common • For example – Conservative and Lib Dem argument over changing the voting system.

6. First past the post Disadvantages • A lot of votes are wasted • For a candidate to win they only need one more vote than the other candidates. • In some cases there are more votes against the winning candidate than for them. • For example 2010 Banff and Buchan, EilidhWhiteford won with 15, 868 votes, however 22598 people for someone else. • Unfair to smaller parties • Although they gain votes they struggle to win a majority which means they rarely gain a seat. • For example in 2010 Green party gained one seat and the Democratic party 3 despite having less votes than the Green party.

7. First past the post Disadvantages • Strong majority government ignore the smaller parties - They do not need the support of the smaller parties to pass bill so often do not consider their view point.

8. PR Facts • PR is the term used to described voting systems where the % of votes is highly linked to the % seats the party gets. • For example additional members system, single transferable vote and regional list. • Additional Members system is used to elect the Scottish Parliament.

9. Additional Members System • There are 129 MSPs but they are not all elected in the same way. • Scotland is divided into 73 constituencies each with an MSP. • These constituencies MSPs are elected by FTPT like MPs. • Voters also vote for regional MSP • There are 8 regions in Scotland each with 7 MSPs • These regional MSP are elected by Regional List. • With the Regional List system people vote for the party, people vote for a party instead of an MP. Depending on the % of votes you get to choose the same % of MPS from your list.

10. Additional Members System • Form of PR that is used in Scotland • Voters have two votes • 1 = constituency MP with FPTP, 73 • 2 = regional MP with Regional List, 8 regions with 7 MSP creating 56 • http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2007/maps/scot_regions/html/scot_regions_map.stm • http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2007/maps/scot_constituencies/html/scot_constituencies_map.stm

11. Proportional Representation Advantages: • Smaller parties are better represented • Even if they cant win enough votes to win the constituency they can gain seats with the second vote. • For example Green party didn’t gain any constituency MSP but 7 Regional MSPs • PR is a much fairer system • The amount of seats a party gains is linked to the amount of votes they received. • Voters are better represented. • For example in 2003 if FPTP had been used the Labour party would of gain 63% of the seats with only 34% of the vote.

12. Proportional Representation Advantages: • Increases voter choic • They have the chance to vote twice and can vote for other parties. • High chance of producing a coalition government • Very difficult for one party to gain a majority • Coalitions are more representive of the publics views and requires the government to take on board all parties opinions. • Avoids extreme government

13. Proportional Representation Disadvantages: • Voters did not vote for a coalition • Voters chose a specific party / candidate. They did not vote assuming that the party of choice would join with another party and change their views • For example in 2003 Labour teamed with Lib democrats • FPTP has produced strong governments in the past • Some people believe that FPTP produces strong succsful government for example in Germany and Britain • Complicated to understand • This can put people off or lead to spoiled ballots.

14. Voters are better represented. % of MPs links to % of votes. Smaller parties would be better represented. Extreme government would be avoided – more likely to form coalition governments. Successful countries such as Germany use PR. Extend voters choice – variety of votes FPTP has worked and produced stable governments. No one voted for a coalition. Small parties with few seats can hold power when coalitions are formed. Most forms of PR do not produce an exact proportional list. Complicated to understand. Is PR Fair? Arguments Against Arguments For