First Past The Post

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Advantages

  • Provides clear cut choice for voters between two main parties
  • Gives rise to single-party governments
  • Excludes extremist parties from rise in the legislature
  • Promotes link between constituents and its representatives
  • Simple to use and easy to understand

Disadvantages

  • Excludes smaller parties from proportional representation
  • Leaves a large number of wasted votes
  • Number of votes cast doesn't reflect the number of seats won (1997 election, Tories won 18% of the vote in Scotland but didn't gain a single seat)
  • Encourages tactical voting

Evaluation

First Past the post isn't proportional at all and to reach proportionality it should be replaced with a voting system such as the STV. However, FTPT is effective and is easy to understand

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