Electoral Systems:
First Past the Post (FPTP)
Strengths of FPTP Weaknesses of FPTP
Simplicity and Speed: Lack of Proportionality:
o Results are straightforward to o Vote share does not match
understand and announced seat share, disadvantaging
quickly. smaller parties.
o In the 2011 AV Referendum, o Examples:
67.9% of voters rejected a
2015: UKIP won 1
move to a more complex
seat with 3.9M votes;
system.
Greens received 1 seat
o 1997 Tony Blair arrived at with 1.2M votes.
Downing Street as the new
2019: SNP won 48
PM at 1pm the day after the
seats with 3.9% of the
election
national vote, while
Constituency Representation: Greens (865,697 votes)
won just 1 seat.
o Each constituency elects one
MP, fostering a strong bond 2015 = Alasdair
between MP and constituents. McDonnell of SDLP
won with only 24.5%
o Example: MPs like Andrew of the vote in Belfast
Griffith (Arundel and South South
Downs, 2019) won with a
majority, ensuring legitimacy. Wasted Votes:
Accountability in Marginals: o In 2019, 22.6 million votes
(70.8%) were "wasted," not
o MPs are directly accountable influencing the outcome.
to voters, especially in
marginal seats. o Example: Turnout in Arundel
and South Downs (2019) was
o Example: Kensington (2017) 75.4%, but the winner
became a key battleground, secured only 43.5% of the
with candidates focusing on total electorate.
local issues to win.
Safe Seats:
Decisive Outcomes:
o Estimated 316 out of 650 seats
o Typically delivers a majority were "safe" in 2019, reducing
government, promoting accountability and
strong and stable governance. competition.
o Example: Conservatives won o Example: MPs in safe seats
an 80-seat majority in 2019, often face little threat of
allowing decisive Brexit- losing, leading to reduced
related policies. voter turnout and campaign
o 1980 decisive outcome effort.
, allowed Thatcher to bring out Marginal Seats:
widespread changes to the
o Only 141 constituencies were
economy
classified as marginal in 2019
o Ken Clarke states that FPTP (i.e., won by less than 10%).
forces voters to face up to the
o Examples:
fundamental choice decisively
Prevents Extremism: North East Fife
(2019): Decided by a
o Small, potentially extreme margin of just 2 votes.
parties struggle to gain
Marginal seats receive
representation due to the need
disproportionate
for concentrated support.
campaign attention,
o 2010 BNP won 2% of the leaving safe seat
national vote but didn’t finish voters less engaged.
high enough in any
Minority Support Winners:
constituencies to gain a seat
o Winning candidates often lack
Regional Dominance:
an absolute majority.
o Parties with concentrated
o Examples:
support (e.g., SNP in
Scotland, Conservatives in the 2019: 421 seats were
South) gain significant won with an absolute
advantages. majority, 207 with 40–
50%, and 22 with less
o Example: In 2015, SNP won
than 40%.
56 seats with 4.7% of the
national vote due to strong Lanark and Hamilton
regional support. East (2019): Winner
received support from
just 28.6% of the
electorate.
Barriers for Smaller Parties:
o Smaller parties with broad
but dispersed support
struggle to win seats.
o Examples:
Lib Dems, Greens,
and Brexit Party
consistently
underperform in seats
relative to vote share.
2015: UKIP secured
12.6% of the national
vote but only 1 seat.
, Key Examples Supporting Reform
1. 2015 Election:
o SNP won 56 seats with 4.7% of the national vote.
o UKIP received nearly 4M votes but only 1 seat.
2. 2017 Election:
o 37 seats were three-way marginals where the gap between 1st and 3rd was less
than 20%.
o In 8 of those seats (7 in Scotland), the gap was less than 10%.
3. 2019 Election:
o Conservatives made significant inroads into Labour’s "Red Wall" due to
concentrated support and Labour’s unclear Brexit stance.
o SNP won 48 seats with 3.9% of votes; Greens (865,697 votes) secured just 1 seat.
o 22 constituencies were won with less than 40% of the vote.
Should FPTP Be Reformed?
Arguments for Reform:
Vote-to-seat ratio is unfair.
Wasted votes undermine democracy.
Tactical voting distorts voter preferences.
Minority support for winners questions legitimacy.
Arguments Against Reform:
Simplicity and historical effectiveness.
Strong constituency-MP link.
Tends to produce decisive, stable governments.
Prevents small, extremist parties from gaining influence.
How STV Works
First Past the Post (FPTP)
Strengths of FPTP Weaknesses of FPTP
Simplicity and Speed: Lack of Proportionality:
o Results are straightforward to o Vote share does not match
understand and announced seat share, disadvantaging
quickly. smaller parties.
o In the 2011 AV Referendum, o Examples:
67.9% of voters rejected a
2015: UKIP won 1
move to a more complex
seat with 3.9M votes;
system.
Greens received 1 seat
o 1997 Tony Blair arrived at with 1.2M votes.
Downing Street as the new
2019: SNP won 48
PM at 1pm the day after the
seats with 3.9% of the
election
national vote, while
Constituency Representation: Greens (865,697 votes)
won just 1 seat.
o Each constituency elects one
MP, fostering a strong bond 2015 = Alasdair
between MP and constituents. McDonnell of SDLP
won with only 24.5%
o Example: MPs like Andrew of the vote in Belfast
Griffith (Arundel and South South
Downs, 2019) won with a
majority, ensuring legitimacy. Wasted Votes:
Accountability in Marginals: o In 2019, 22.6 million votes
(70.8%) were "wasted," not
o MPs are directly accountable influencing the outcome.
to voters, especially in
marginal seats. o Example: Turnout in Arundel
and South Downs (2019) was
o Example: Kensington (2017) 75.4%, but the winner
became a key battleground, secured only 43.5% of the
with candidates focusing on total electorate.
local issues to win.
Safe Seats:
Decisive Outcomes:
o Estimated 316 out of 650 seats
o Typically delivers a majority were "safe" in 2019, reducing
government, promoting accountability and
strong and stable governance. competition.
o Example: Conservatives won o Example: MPs in safe seats
an 80-seat majority in 2019, often face little threat of
allowing decisive Brexit- losing, leading to reduced
related policies. voter turnout and campaign
o 1980 decisive outcome effort.
, allowed Thatcher to bring out Marginal Seats:
widespread changes to the
o Only 141 constituencies were
economy
classified as marginal in 2019
o Ken Clarke states that FPTP (i.e., won by less than 10%).
forces voters to face up to the
o Examples:
fundamental choice decisively
Prevents Extremism: North East Fife
(2019): Decided by a
o Small, potentially extreme margin of just 2 votes.
parties struggle to gain
Marginal seats receive
representation due to the need
disproportionate
for concentrated support.
campaign attention,
o 2010 BNP won 2% of the leaving safe seat
national vote but didn’t finish voters less engaged.
high enough in any
Minority Support Winners:
constituencies to gain a seat
o Winning candidates often lack
Regional Dominance:
an absolute majority.
o Parties with concentrated
o Examples:
support (e.g., SNP in
Scotland, Conservatives in the 2019: 421 seats were
South) gain significant won with an absolute
advantages. majority, 207 with 40–
50%, and 22 with less
o Example: In 2015, SNP won
than 40%.
56 seats with 4.7% of the
national vote due to strong Lanark and Hamilton
regional support. East (2019): Winner
received support from
just 28.6% of the
electorate.
Barriers for Smaller Parties:
o Smaller parties with broad
but dispersed support
struggle to win seats.
o Examples:
Lib Dems, Greens,
and Brexit Party
consistently
underperform in seats
relative to vote share.
2015: UKIP secured
12.6% of the national
vote but only 1 seat.
, Key Examples Supporting Reform
1. 2015 Election:
o SNP won 56 seats with 4.7% of the national vote.
o UKIP received nearly 4M votes but only 1 seat.
2. 2017 Election:
o 37 seats were three-way marginals where the gap between 1st and 3rd was less
than 20%.
o In 8 of those seats (7 in Scotland), the gap was less than 10%.
3. 2019 Election:
o Conservatives made significant inroads into Labour’s "Red Wall" due to
concentrated support and Labour’s unclear Brexit stance.
o SNP won 48 seats with 3.9% of votes; Greens (865,697 votes) secured just 1 seat.
o 22 constituencies were won with less than 40% of the vote.
Should FPTP Be Reformed?
Arguments for Reform:
Vote-to-seat ratio is unfair.
Wasted votes undermine democracy.
Tactical voting distorts voter preferences.
Minority support for winners questions legitimacy.
Arguments Against Reform:
Simplicity and historical effectiveness.
Strong constituency-MP link.
Tends to produce decisive, stable governments.
Prevents small, extremist parties from gaining influence.
How STV Works
