Voting Systems

The Election Campaign On election day, voters go along to a polling station-usually a primary school or library etc and report to the polling clerk. This person checks your name against the electoral roll – (a list of everyone eligible to vote). Next you are given a ballot paper Voters choose the candidate they want to win by placing an X next to the candidate’s name – completed ballot papers are then placed in a ballot box. At the end of the day, all of the ballot boxes are taken to a central location and the votes are counted. The candidate with the most votes is declared the winner.

Voting Systems There are two main types of voting in the UK The First Past the Post (FPTP) System Proportional Representation (PR) Systems

Voting Systems First Past the Post (FPTP) This is when the candidate with the most votes is elected CONSERVATIVE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

Voting Systems Proportional Representation (PR) This is when the number of votes a party gets = a proportional number of seats

What do we mean by proportional? If 4 people were to share a cake equally, each person would get one quarter or 25% Each gets a fair proportion

What do we mean by proportional? With PR, the number of votes a party gets is roughly equal to the number of seats in parliament the party gets. E.g. if a party gets 25% of the vote, they get 25% of the seats

Voting Systems Proportional Representation (PR) So in PR, you vote for a party rather than a candidate The party chooses who gets the seat from a list of their best people

Voting Systems in the Exam… Questions will be general – you can refer to any voting system used in the UK. Your options are: First Past the Post (FPTP) – UK Parliament Elections Additional Member System (AMS) – Scottish Parliament Elections Single Transferable Vote (STV) – Scottish Local Authority (Council) Elections

Voting Systems in the Exam… We will focus mostly on AMS – your best bet it to focus essays on this voting system However, questions will generally involve you stating the pros and cons of a voting system so you will have to refer to FPTP as well AMS and STV are PROPORTIONAL SYSTEMS whilst FPTP is not.

Possible Questions… Evaluate the effectiveness of an electoral system you have studied in providing fair representation. 12 marks To what extent does the electoral system you have studied provide fair representation and choice. 20 marks

First Past the Post (FPTP)

FPTP FPTP is easy to understand – the candidate in a constituency with the most votes wins the seat They become an MP in the Westminster/UK Parliament There are 650 constituencies in the UK, therefore there are 650 available seats The party that wins the most seats overall usually forms the government FPTP usually produces majority governments, although at the moment it is a coalition (Con/Lib Dem) It is not a proportional system – many votes are wasted Favours bigger parties – Labour and Conservative Elections every 4 or 5 years (varies) See voting systems hand-out for more information

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_2010 – full election results

Additional Member System (AMS)

The Additional Member System The voting system used for Scottish Parliament elections is the Additional Member System (AMS). This is a form of Proportional Representation. The number of seats won by each party will be roughly equivalent to the number of votes it receives. (It is sometimes called a semi-proportional system). It is a HYBRID system – mixing FPTP and PR, FPTP + PR = AMS Elections are held every 4 years. There are 129 MSPs. There are 2 different types of MSPs: ‘Constituency’ MSPs and ‘Regional List’ MSPs’. Voters vote twice to elect the different types of MSPs.

Constituency MSPs There are 73 constituencies in Scotland. Each constituency elects 1 MSP using FPTP. A single ballot paper is used in the election - the lilac (purple) colored side is used to elect constituency MSPs. You put a ‘x’ beside the name of the candidate you want to vote for.

Regional List MSPs For these MSPs, Scotland is divided into 8 regions: Highland and Islands, NE Scotland, Mid Scotland and Fife, West of Scotland, Glasgow, Central, Lothians and South of Scotland. There are 56 ‘List’ MSPs. Each of the 8 regions has 7 ‘List’ MSPs. The peach coloured side of the ballot paper is used for the regional vote. Party List system of PR is used. You put a cross beside the name of a party (or independent candidate) you want to vote for.

Each person in Scotland is represented by a total of 8 MSPs. The Party List The Result Each party supplies a list of candidates. Most favoured candidates are at the top of the list. 7 rounds of calculations take place using a formula. (A variation of the D’Hondt Formula) http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/visitandlearn/Education/65978.aspx Each person in Scotland is represented by a total of 8 MSPs. 1 Constituency MSP + 7 Regional MSPs

The D’Hondt Formula You don’t need to know this for the exam but it is worth knowing how it works…it is much more complicated that FPTP! The formula used is below, although in Scotland it is slightly adjusted: In Scotland, “s” does not necessarily start at 0 but with the number of constituency seats a party has already won in a region.

The D’Hondt Formula See the site below for an interactive explanation! http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/visitandlearn/Education/65978.aspx

It is claimed that AMS is unlikely to give one party complete power. Glasgow Provan Constituency Paul Martin, Constituency MSP Scottish Labour It is claimed that AMS is unlikely to give one party complete power. Region: Glasgow http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/Glasgow.aspx

Example In Glasgow in 2011 SP election, Paul Martin won more votes than his rivals. He therefore become the constituency MSP. Under AMS, Glasgow is part of the Glasgow Region. In order to compensate the parties who had a decent number of votes across the wider region, list seats are allocated according to the proportion of vote each party receives. End result Paul Martin is the constituency MSP and there are an additional 7 MSPs for the region. If a constituent in Glasgow has an issue in the area that needs the MSPs attention they could got to Paul Martin to do something. In theory they could also approach a ‘list’ MSP, such as Ruth Davidson, a Conservative MSP for the Glasgow region.

Mock Party Lists Labour John Grey Diane Abbott Margaret Curran David Blunkett Tony Benn Conservative Annabel Goldie Ruth Davidson Jackson Carlaw David Cameron Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg Paddy Ashdown Charles Kennedy Tavish Scott SNP John Mason Nicola Sturgeon Kenny MacAskill John Swinney Task Write a list of the names of MSPs elected using the PR system.

Voting for regional MSPs Voting for constituency MSP Paper 2 Peach Voting for regional MSPs 1 X for a party Uses PR Paper 1 Purple Voting for constituency MSP 1 X for 1 candidate Uses FPTP

Part 1 The first part of the ballot paper is to elect an MSP to represent the people in a constituency (FPTP) There are 73 constituencies for the Scottish Parliament. Voters put a cross against the name of the candidate they want to represent them in their constituency.

Part 2 The second part of the ballot paper elects MSPs to the 8 regions of Scotland Each region has 7 Regional MSPs or list MSPs as they are sometimes known. Voters put an X next to the party they want to represent them in the region The second ballot paper makes sure that the result of the election is fair, if a party gets 20% of the votes in this ballot it will get 20% of the seats.

Is AMS Fair? The short answer is…YES. At least it is fairer than FPTP. See your hand-out for pros and cons of AMS The following slides talk through a few basic pros and cons

FOR PROPORTIONALITY AMS produces a fairly proportional result but still maintains a clear link between the voters and their representatives. People have a constituency MSP who they can identify with and go to with their problems. COALITION GOVERNMENT Can be effective government that is willing to listen to different perspectives. The Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition in the Scottish Parliament (1999-2007) introduced a number of policies that are dramatically different from the views of Labour controlled Westminster. For example, an end to tuition fees for Scottish university students. Note 2007,2011 result produced a minority and majority Government respectively.

FOR WASTED VOTES Votes are not wasted under AMS. Even if a party has no chance of winning a seat under the FPTP aspect, it can win party list seats as the Scottish Greens and Scottish Socialists have done. This may encourage more voters to participate. BETTER REPRESENTATION AMS allows a wider variety of views to be expressed. Under FPTP, the system is dominated by the two largest parties Conservative and Labour. However, under AMS, smaller parties such as the Greens have gained representation. Glasgow region- 8 MSPs from a variety of different parties.

AGAINST CHOICE OF CANDIDATES As the party list aspect is used, some would argue that too much power is given to the party in choosing candidates. Often people like to know WHO they are voting for – personality and personal qualities are important in politics. Example In the Scottish AMS, the voter has no say in the order a party ranks its prospective List MSPs. In most constituencies, being placed anything further down than 3rd or 4th in the party list means a candidate is highly unlikely to get elected. It is the political party that decides the order of the list. This explains why, in 2003, Margo MacDonald, an experienced and popular MSP resigned from the SNP and stood for election as an Independent candidate. Due to internal party squabbling, she was placed a lowly 6th on the SNP’s list for the Lothians region. This meant that, if she did not resign and run as an Independent, she would have had no realistic hope of being elected. She ran as an Independent and won. She won again in 2007 and 2011. But this is because she is a well known and popular personality in Edinburgh.

Had she been a “normal” candidate the party machine would, in all likelihood, have kept her out of politics. In 2011, the SNP did not register its list candidates on the ballot paper at all. Instead it placed the slogan "Alex Salmond for First Minister" where its list candidate's details should go. This achieved the effect of boosting the SNP vote as Alex Salmond is the SNP's biggest name. This was clever politics! It broke no rules. However, some argue that ethically, parties should state who their List candidates really are. It is argued it is unfair to the voters, who are kept in the dark and who can end up with a  complete unknown as their List MSP.

AGAINST CONFLICT The system elects two types of representative – constituency MSPs and Regional MSPs. Ill feeling can result from one group claiming superiority over the other. For example, constituency MSPs may think they are more important because people elected them directly. Regional MSPs may believe they have a greater workload because they represent a larger area. Example In August 2003, the then Labour MP Brian Wilson described list MSPs as “a waste of space”. There is an element of rivalry between constituency and List MSPs. Constituency MSPs tend to see themselves as the "real" MSP for the constituency. List MSPs ‘elected through the back door’

AGAINST CONFUSION The Scottish Parliament has constituency and regional MSPs. This may confuse people who may be unsure whom to contact if a problem arises. Also, people are put off voting because they do not understand the AMS. EXTREMIST PARTIES Some people are worried that extremist parties may have some representatives elected. This may provide them with a platform for their extremist views and allow them to secure even more support. The British National Party is a good example.

AMS and by-elections The regular by-elections of FPTP give the voter the chance to express a verdict on the performance of Government. Labour's loss of Glasgow East to the SNP in 2008 is a good example. With FPTP voters can punish an unpopular Government. It could be over handling of the economy, a foreign war, whatever. The voter gets a real chance to register a protest.

The STV Voting System

Why STV? Reform of local government was on the agenda at the Scottish Parliament. In 2007, Local councillors became full time and salaried, rather than part-time, dependent on expenses. Attempt to ‘professionalise’ the job of councillor - broaden access in gender, race and age. Whether it was true or not many thought councillors were ‘in it for what they could get’ such as expenses. The voting system was also changed, away from the traditional ‘first past the post’ (FPTP) to the Single Transferable Vote (STV) STV favoured voting system of the Liberal Democrats. It was their non-negotiable price for joining the 2003-2007 Coalition Government.

Why STV? Many Labour councillors were furious at their parliamentary colleagues, referring to the deal as ‘turkeys voting for Christmas’ - why? Labour dominated under FPTP - FPTP traditionally favours the big parties.

How does it work? In FPTP the voter has one vote and votes by placing an “X” next to the candidate of choice. IN STV the voter has more than vote. Rather than placing an “X” to the candidate of choice, the voter will have a number of choices, ranking the candidates in order of preference 1,2, 3 etc. So, the voter can choose not just between parties within them.

How does it work? Members are elected once they pass a certain number of votes, known as a quota. Finding the winners An STV election proceeds according to the following steps: Any candidate who has reached or exceeded the quota is declared elected. If a candidate has more votes than the quota, that candidate's surplus votes are transferred to other candidates. Votes that would have gone to the winner instead go to the next preference listed on their ballot. If no one new meets the quota, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and that candidate's votes are transferred. This process repeats until either a winner is found for every seat or there are as many seats as remaining candidates.

How does it work? In most of Scotland’s authorities, the major political parties will field a number of candidates on the voter’s ballot paper. So, a voter, if he/she wishes, could give a candidate of a party the number 1, but give a candidate from another party the number 2.

Is it fair? The short answer is…YES. At least it is fairer than FPTP. See your hand-out for pros and cons of STV The following slides talk through a few basic pros and cons

Advantages The voter is more empowered . A person who sees himself/herself as a Labour voter does not have to vote for Labour’s nominated candidate as there may be more than one Labour candidate. So, one Labour candidate who the voter may not like may not get a vote but another candidate from the same party may get the vote. In local elections, especially, where the personal factor matters; council candidates often live locally and will have a word of mouth reputation, STV provides an incentive for elected officials to work hard and puts more power in the hands of the voter. No safe seats - cannot become complacent.

Advantages Better representation- STV constituencies are bigger and voters have more than one representative. Most of us have three councillors who represent us and they are usually from different political parties. Coalitions councils are more likely. After the 2012 result In Edinburgh city council Labour and SNP are in coalition. Ended Labour’s dominance in councils.

Disadvantages Multi members confine voters ‘Where does the buck stop?’ More than one elected representative - who is responsible? Coalitions can lead to instability Like AMS, coalitions can be formed, and the voters could be unhappy about the result. Edinburgh city council- Labour and SNP. The Count Process is long, results cannot be announced the same night as voting. Confusing ballot papers Large multi-member constituencies mean ballot papers can get quite long. Ranking can be difficult. Can affect turnout- local government elections averages 50% turnout - compared to 65% in general elections