Supplementary Voting:
- Used to elect the mayor of London and other mayors in towns and cities
- Also used to elect police and crime commissioners.
How
It Works:
- Voters record their first and second preferences.
- If no candidate wins a majority all by the top two are eliminated and the second preference votes for the two remaining candidates are added to the first preference votes.
- Candidate with the highest total is elected.
Advantages:
- Winning candidate has broad support giving them greater legitimacy
- Supporters of smaller parties can use there first preference to express there allegiance to another candidate to indicate which major party they want to become elected.
- Votes of those who use first and second preference to support minor parties do not influence.
Disadvantages:
- Winner may be elected without a majority if second votes aren’t used effectively.
- Winning candidate does not need a majority of the first vote as the popular candidate could take over.
- Would not deliver a proportional outcome if this system was used for a general election.
Proportional
System:
- % of votes = % of MPs
LIST
System:
- For example, each party must produce a list of 100 MPs and there are no names on the ballot paper, votes are added.
- First of votes for each party become the MP
- So if 25% of the voters vote for Labour out of 100 MPs, there will be 25 Labour MPs.
- It is fair but mostly has coalition governments.
- % of votes = % of MPs you vote.
Single
Transferable Vote:
- Also proportional
- The Liberal Democrats wanted it in 2011
- It includes some very hard maths
- Each consistency is a multi-member consistency.
- Each party provides a list of names
- You have a number of votes depending on how many MPs can be elected.
- Brings more females and ethnic minorities to Parliament.
- Likely to provide a hung Parliament though.
- Voting is preferential – number the candidates besides there name.
- Voting is ordinal – you can vote for as many as you like
- Candidates must achieve a quota known as the Droop Quota.
- If no candidate reaches the quota on the first count, the second preference is transferred.
- It is carried on until a candidate wins.
Advantages:
- Proportional and ensures votes are largely or equal in weight.
- Winner of government will have 50% of the vote.
- Greater choice of people to pick from.
Disadvantages:
- Less accurate in translating votes into seats than a proportional system.
- Weak link between MPs and consistency.
- Produces a coalition government that may be unstable and can give influence to minor parties.
- The counting process is lengthy and complex.