Voting Systems in the UK

Overview of Voting Systems in the United Kingdom

• There are different concepts and interpretations of democracy and electoral systems are the methods by which we elect representatives.
• The UK uses the First-past-the-post system for the House of Commons and local councils in England and Wales.
• Alternative Vote (AV) is used to elect members of the House of Lords and chair people of most committees in the House of Commons.
• Supplementary Vote (SV) is used for mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales.
• The Additional Member System (AMS) is used by the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the London Assembly.
• Single Transferable Vote (STV) is used for Deputy Speaker elections in the House of Commons, Northern Ireland Assembly elections, local elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and European Parliament elections in Northern Ireland.
• The Closed Party List system is used by England, Scotland, and Wales to elect Members of the European Parliament.
• The First-past-the-post system is not favored by the majority of European countries, who prefer proportional representation.
• The UK is divided into constituencies or local authorities and wards for elections.
• Voters rank candidates in order of preference in AV and STV systems.
• The AMS system gives voters two votes, one for a constituency member and one for a party list.
• The Closed Party List system allows voters to choose parties, not individual politicians, and parties decide who will represent them.