Electoral Systems UK

AMS (additional member system)
1. USED: Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly & Greater London Assembly
2. FEATURES
  1. its a mixed system, made of constituency and Party List elements
  2. a proportion of the seats are filled by FPTP, using single member constituencies.
    1. in Scotland 56% of reps are elected in this way, in Wales the figure is 66%
  3. the remaining seats are filled using the 'closed party list' system.
  4. Electors cast 2 votes: one for a candidate in a constituency election & the other for a party in a list election
    1. The party list element of AMS is used to 'top up' the constituency results. If this is done correctly using the D.Hondt method to achieve the most proportional overall outcome
3. ADVANTAGES
  1. the mixed character of this system balances the need for constituency representation against the need for electoral fairness
  2. although the system is broadly proportional in terms of its outcomes, it helps to keep alive the possibility of a single- party government
  3. it allows voters to make wider & more considered choices
    1. e.g. you can vote for different parties in constituency and list elections
4. DISADVANTAGES
  1. retention of single-member constituencies reduces the likelihood of high levels of proportionality
  2. the system creates confusion by having 2 classes of representatives
  3. constituency representation is less effective than it is in FPTP, because of the larger size of constituencies & a proportion of representatives have no constituency duties
STV (single transferrable vote)
1. USED: in the Northern Ireland Assembly, local gov. elections in Scotland & NI, and for European Parliament only in NI
2. FEATURES
  1. There are multimember constituencies.
    1. The NI Assembly as 18 constituencies each with 6 members. in local elections there is a mix of 5/6/7 member constituencies
  2. Political Parties are able to put up as there are seats to fill in each constituency
  3. electors vote preferentially by ranking candidates in order (1,2,3...)
  4. candidates are elected if they achieve a quota of votes. this is calculated by the Droop formula
    1. Quota= total no. of votes cast/ (no. of seats to be filled +1) +1
  5. votes are counted 1st according to 1st preferences. if any candidate achieves the quota additional votes for him or her are accounted according to 2nd / 3rd subsequent preferences
  6. if this process still leaves some seats unfilled, the candidate with the fewest votes drops out & his or her votes are redistributed according to the 2nd or subsequent preferences
3. ADVANTAGES
  1. This system is capable of achieving highly proportional outcomes
  2. competition among candidates from the same party means that they can be judged on their individual records & personal strengths
  3. the availability of several members means the constituencies can choose who to take their grievances to.
4. DISADVANTAGES
  1. the degree of proportionality achieved in this system can vary largely on the basis of the party system
  2. strong & stable single party government is very unlikely under FPTP
  3. multimember constituencies may be decisive because they encourage competition amongst members of the same party
Regional Party List
1. USED: European Parliament Elections (except NI)
2. FEATURES
  1. there are a no. of large multimember constituencies for European Parliament Elections, the UK is divided into 12 regions, each returning 3-10 members (72 in total)
  2. political parties compile lists of candidates to place before the electorate, in descending order of preference
  3. electors vote for parties not candidates. the UK uses 'closed' list elections
  4. parties are allocated seats in direct proportion to the votes that they gain in each regional constituency. They fill these seats from their party list
3. ADVANTAGES
  1. its the only potentially pure system of proportional representation & therefore fair to all parties
  2. the system tends to promote unity by encouraging electors to identify with a region rather than a constituency
  3. the system makes it easier for women & ethnic minorities to be elected provided they feature on the party list
4. DISADVANTAGES
  1. the existence of many small parties can lead to weak & unstable governments
  2. the link between representatives & constituencies is significantly weakened & may be broken altogether
  3. parties become more powerful as they decide where candidates are placed on the party list
SV/AV (supplementary vote/alternative vote)
1. USED: London Mayor Elections (sv), Scottish local elections (av)
2. FEATURES
  1. There are single member constituencies
  2. AV- electors vote preferentially/ SV- electors have 2 votes - 1st preference & 2nd preference
  3. winning candidates in an election must gain a minimum of 50% of all votes cast
  4. votes are counted according to 1st preference . if no candidate reaches 50% under AV the bottom candidate drops out etc. until one candidate gains 50%. under SV the top 2 candidates remain in the election & all the other candidates drop out; their votes are redistributed on the basis of their supplementary vote (winner must achieve 50%
3. AVANTAGES
  1. SV/AV ensures that fewer votes are 'wasted'
  2. as winning candidates must secure at least 50% support , a broader range of opinions influence the outcome of the election, parties thus being drawn toward the centre ground
4. DISADVANTAGES
  1. the outcome of the election may be determined by those whose support is small, possibly extremist parties
  2. winning candidates may enjoy little 1st preference votes & only succeed with the help of supplementary votes, making them the least popular candidate the winner
FPTP
1. USED: HofC & in England& Wales local elections
2. FEATURES
  1. It is a constituency system. Currently there are 646 parliamentary constituencies in the UK.
  2. Voters select a single candidate by marking and 'X' on the ballot paper. Reflecting the principle of 'one person one vote'.
  3. constituencies are roughly equal in size- ensured by reviews of the Electoral Commission
  4. the winning candidate only needs to achieve a plurality of votes. this is the 'FPTP rule'
3. ADVANTAGES
  1. clear electoral choice - aiding the democracy by clarifying choices for voters.
  2. Mandate democracy- voters get what they vote for - the winning party gets to carry out its manifesto promises
  3. strong govs. FPTP helps to ensure that govs. can govern. This happens because the gov. of the day enjoys a strong majority in the HofC
  4. Stable gov. single party governments are stable & cohesive & so are generally able to survive in full term office. whereas a coalition gov is weak and unstable
4. DISADVANTAGES
  1. there is little electoral fairness
  2. in FPTP elections not all the votes count: the voters of the opposing party are not represented
  3. plurality rule means that sometimes majorities can be gained with as little as 35% of the vote - like in 2005
  4. there is often executive domination as a single party holds the majority of control over the commons
  5. FPTP leads to safe seats being held in certain parts of the country by certain parties

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Electoral Systems UK

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