First Past the Post
- Created by: Niamh
- Created on: 17-11-12 12:14
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- First Past the Post
- How the system works
- Each constiuency returns one member of Parliament
- One candidate per party per constituency nominated
- One vote per voter
- Candidate with largest number of votes elected
- Simple Majority/plurality
- Winningcandidate doesnt need overall maj, needs more than other candidate
- ILLUSTRATION : 2010 D.Cameron won most votes, needed 326 to become PM - only achieved 307, led to hung parliament
- Simple Majority/plurality
- Effects
- Favours 2 biggest parties; Labour & Conservative
- 2010
- Conservative:- 306 seats from 36.1% of votes
- Labour:- 258 seats from 29% votes
- Lib Dems:- 57 seats from 23% of votes
- 2010
- Advantages
- Strong, unique relationsip between MP & Constituency
- Simple
- Frank Doran elected MP for Aberdeen North with 42.5% of votes - Simple for voter and easy to count
- Results known within 24-36 hours. no complication of order of preference.
- New govt in place quickly
- Generates outright Winners
- Last 7 elections produced ruling majority - no uncertainty
- Coalitions can happen - John Major with Ulster Unionists
- Almost always get govt with overall majority
- Stable, one party govt
- Leads to decisive govt.
- Disadvantages
- Can lead to wasted votes - most votes cast don't directly affect outcome
- Estimated 19 million in 2005 (70% of those who voted) Labour elected in 2005 with only 36% of vote – only 1 in 5 eligible to vote actually voted for government
- Independent Newspaper described 2005 general election as “the most unfair election result of all time”
- People may not vote because they think their vote will just be wasted
- Doesnt always produce produce results where share of seats reflects share of votes
- 2005: Labour 32.5% of votes - 356 seats.
- Out -dated
- No representation for parties such as Green or UKIP
- Smaller parties better represented in other assemblies
- Leads to tactical voting
- Voting for a party other than voters preferred party to prevent another party getting elected.
- Example: Labour supporter in marginal Lib/Tory seat votes Lib Dem in order to keep Tories from winning
- Can distort final election results and give misleading impression
- Can lead to wasted votes - most votes cast don't directly affect outcome
- Favours 2 biggest parties; Labour & Conservative
- How the system works
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