Electoral System Analysis

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UK's Different Electoral Systems

Different electoral systems in the UK include FPTP for general elections, STV for Northern Ireland Assembly elections, AMS for Scotland, Wales and London Assembly elections.

First Past the Post use

FPTP is used for UK general elections because it is simple, easy for voters to use and often produces a strong government.
FPTP suits larger parties, meaning that it benefits the Conservatives and Labour, which also explains why FPTP remains the system used.
- Labour and the Conservatives benefit from the voting system, and changing it would likely harm their election success.
- The AV referendum in 2011, which voted against changing the system, suggests there is limited popular support to move away from FPTP.

Single Transferable Vote use

STV is used in Northern Ireland because it is proportional and so will ensure many different parties are represented by the results of the election.
- STV prevents one party dominating in the Northern Ireland Assembly and ensures the government which forms shares power from numerous parties.
- This is important in Northern Ireland where there has traditionally been a conflict between nationalist and unionist communities.

Additional Member System use

AMS is used in Scotland, Wales and London Assemblies.
- AMS is used because it has representative results and is more proportional than FPTP, without as radical a change as STV.

Supplementary Vote use

SV is used because it is simple.
By only enabling two candidates through to the final round, it means that candidates need a large amount of positive support and a clear mandate to win.

Impact of Electoral Systems

Electoral systems impact on the type of government that is appointed, voter choice and party representation.

Government type: coalition

Proportional systems such as STV and AMS have increased the number of coalition governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
FPTP more often results in a single party government forming.
- The AMS voting system brought about a Scottish Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition in Scotland in 1999 and 2003, which removed tuition fees for university students and introduced free nursing care for elderly people, which did not exist in England.

Government type: minority

Proportional systems, such as in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, have encouraged more negotiations between political parties.
If a minority government forms, as it has on several occasions in Scotland and Wales, then the government needs the support of other parties to pass legislation and its policies.
- AMS has led to an SNP minority government from 2007-2011, in the most recent 2016 election and there has been a Labour minority government from 2011-2016 in Wales.

Voter choice

Proportional systems such as AMS and STV give more choice to voters than FPTP where voters have one vote for one candidate.
- AMS gives voters two votes, one for their constituency member and one for a party’s list candidates.
- STV gives voters a preferential vote on a number of candidates, including multiple candidates from the same party.

Party representation

Proportional electoral systems better represent smaller parties and are not affected by how the votes have been distributed.
- In FPTP parties are less successful if their vote is thinly spread rather than concentrated in specific areas.