UK Parliament:
In the UK parliament the House of Commons is elected by the first past the post system (FPTP), the country is split into 650 constituencies and each one votes for an MP to represent them, some candidates represents parties and others are independent. The House of Lords are appointed not voted for, they are appointed by the queen on the prime ministers request.
First pass the post Voting system:
Under First Past The Post (FPTP) voting takes place in constituencies that elect a single MP. Voters put a cross in a box next to their favoured candidate and the candidate with the most votes in the constituency wins. All other votes count for nothing. We believe First Past The Post is the worst system for electing a representative government. This system is used in the UK. To put yourself forward to be a candidate you need to have 10 nominations and pay a cost of £100. When you vote you go to a voting station, mark an X in the box next to your preferred candidate, the votes are then counted. Those eligible to vote are aged 18+ British citizens. To vote you have to be electoral register.
The Single Transferable Vote system is used to elect the ‘Deputy Speakers’ in the House of Commons. STV is also used for electing the Northern Ireland Assembly, local elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland and European Parliament elections in Northern Ireland.
Multi-member constituencies are required for STV which means constituencies are normally larger but elect several representatives rather than just one.
Under STV, voters rank candidates in order of preference by marking 1, 2, 3 and so on next to the names of candidates on a ballot paper. A voter can rank as many or as few candidates as they like or just vote for one candidate.
Each candidate needs a minimum number of votes to be elected. This number is calculated according to the number of seats and votes cast and is called a quota. The first preference votes for each candidate are added up and any candidate who has achieved this quota is elected.
If a candidate has more votes than are needed to fill the quota, that candidate’s surplus votes are transferred to the remaining candidates. Votes that would have gone to the winner instead go to the second preference listed on those ballot papers.
If candidates do not meet the quota, the candidate with the fewest first preference votes is eliminated and