The UK’s common election has resulted in a landslide victory for Keir Starmer’s Labour Occasion, which has gained 411 seats of a complete of 650 seats (65 p.c) within the Home of Commons.
Counting continues to be persevering with in a handful of seats, however whereas Labour has 64 p.c of the seats, it solely truly gained 34 p.c of the particular votes.
Conversely, Reform UK, the far-right occasion campaigning on points akin to immigration, has obtained 14 p.c of the votes to this point, however solely 4 seats, or 0.6 p.c of the full. The Conservative Occasion has gained a bit extra of the vote – about 24 p.c – however has taken 119 seats (18 p.c of seats) – an enormous distinction.
So why do some events with a lot of votes solely obtain a handful of seats?
What number of seats have every occasion gained?
- Labour Occasion: 35 p.c vote share, 411 seats
- Conservative Occasion: 24 p.c vote share, 119 seats
- Liberal Democrats: 12 p.c vote share, 71 seats
- Reform UK: 14 p.c vote share, 4 seats
- Inexperienced Occasion: 7 p.c vote share, 4 seats
- Scottish Nationwide Occasion (SNP): 2 p.c vote share, 9 seats
- Sinn Fein: 0.7 p.c vote share, 7 seats
- Plaid Cymru: 0.7 p.c vote share, 4 seats
Why does this occur?
This anomaly happens as a result of the UK makes use of the plurality voting system referred to as “first-past-the-post”, which works otherwise from the varied programs of proportional illustration utilized in many different international locations.
There are 650 constituencies throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Eire – the 4 international locations within the UK.
Voters in every constituency make one alternative from a listing of candidates and, after the votes are counted, the candidate with probably the most votes wins the seat within the Home of Commons.
If a celebration wins numerous seats by small margins, it will likely be mirrored by an imbalance between general votes and general seats gained. Theoretically, one occasion may win 51 p.c of the vote in each seat, whereas one other may win 49 p.c in each seat. The primary occasion would obtain 100% of the seats, nevertheless.
The occasion that reaches 326 seats – yet another than half of the full 650 – will kind a authorities with out the necessity for a coalition with different events, no matter how nicely different events carry out. The occasion with the second-highest variety of seats types the official opposition.
If no occasion wins 326 seats, the occasion with probably the most seats could comply with kind a coalition with one other occasion.
Does this mismatch between votes and seats occur continuously within the UK elections?
- Within the 2017 common election, the Liberal Democrats gained 7.4 p.c of votes and solely 12 seats, 1.8 p.c of the full. In 2019, the occasion gained 11.5 p.c of votes however just one.7 p.c of seats.
- Within the 2015 common election, the Liberal Democrats gained 7.9 p.c of votes, however solely gained 1.2 p.c of seats, returning simply 4 MPs.
- In 2015, the UK Independence Occasion (UKIP) gained 12.6 p.c of the votes however just one seat, or 0.2 p.c.
- The Inexperienced Occasion polled 3.8 p.c of votes in 2015 however bought simply 0.2 p.c of the seats.
- In 1997, the Labour Occasion gained 43 p.c of the vote however gained 64 p.c of the seats.
What do critics of the UK electoral system say?
Whereas the first-past-the-post system may work effectively when solely two or three candidates compete for votes, it’s much less related in trendy occasions, observers say.
“In an more and more multiparty political atmosphere, with voters much less dedicated than ever to the 2 fundamental events, first-past-the-post creates vastly distorted outcomes,” Steve Gilmore, a spokesperson from Make Votes Matter, which campaigns for the introduction of proportional illustration within the UK, instructed Al Jazeera.
“A celebration’s share of the seats in parliament bears little resemblance to the share of the vote they obtained. In different phrases, on Friday, parliament won’t symbolize how the nation voted.”
Critics argue that the first-past-the-post system typically permits the election of MPs from events that didn’t get sufficient general votes, simply because the occasion was common in some constituencies.
For instance, in 1997, Labour gained with 43 p.c of the vote, which suggests 57 p.c of voters didn’t vote Labour.
Critics additionally blame the first-past-the-post system for low voter turnout since voters consider their single vote could have little impact on the consequence.
They argue the system additionally encourages tactical voting. This could imply voters not selecting their favorite candidate, however as a substitute selecting somebody extra common to make sure their least favorite candidate doesn’t win.
As of January 29, a tracker by the British public opinion and information monitoring firm, YouGov, confirmed that solely 26 p.c of individuals had been in favour of maintaining the first-past-the-post voting system.
Some 45 p.c of respondents believed the British voting system ought to be modified to an alternate voting system referred to as proportional illustration (PR).
What would have been the consequence beneath PR?
Below proportional illustration, events are allotted a lot of seats in step with the proportion of the vote they gained.
Reform UK would have gained 14 p.c of seats within the Home of Commons getting 14 p.c of votes, a major quantity – 91.
If the PR system had been in place, the Conservatives would have gained 156 seats, and the Labour Occasion would have gained 221 seats (crucially, not an outright majority).
The Greens would have gained 45 or 46 seats; the Liberal Democrats, 78 seats; Plaid Cymru, six or seven seats; and the SNP 13 seats.
Below PR, the variety of seats for regional events such because the SNP may see a slight drop. “No PR system would ever be completely proportional, so it could at all times have a tendency to present a little bit of a lift to the bigger events – simply not practically as a lot as the present system,” Alan Renwick, professor of democratic politics at College School London, defined.
“Below a fairer, proportional system, everybody’s vote would depend, wherever you reside and whoever you vote for. Governments must win help from throughout the entire nation, and must ship on the problems that matter to the vast majority of voters to remain in energy,” mentioned Gilmore.
Why doesn’t the UK use PR?
Whereas first-past-the-post was an ordinary voting system in lots of international locations within the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most have shifted away from it, however not the UK.
“That’s partly as a result of we by no means had a second of revolutionary change, and partly as a result of maintaining first-past-the-post has typically been within the pursuits of the occasion in energy – this method tends to present the biggest occasion a bonus,” Renwick defined.
“The Conservatives and Labour have at all times shaped governments and haven’t seen their pursuits as served by switching to PR. And there was minimal common stress for change – most individuals have typically preferred the simplicity of first-past-the-post and the alternation of single-party governments,” he added.
Renwick mentioned the first-past-the-post is “easy, and it’s typically good for accountability – it makes it simple to throw these in energy out should you don’t like what they’re doing”.
Has the UK ever thought-about altering the electoral system?
In Might 2011, there was a UK-wide referendum on whether or not to herald an alternate voting (AV) system as a substitute of first-past-the-post. It was referred to as the AV referendum.
Nonetheless, solely 42 p.c of voters turned out to vote within the referendum, and practically 68 p.c had been in opposition to introducing AV.
In accordance with the unbiased advocacy organisation Electoral Reform Society (ERS), beneath an AV system, voters rank candidates so as of choice. If no candidate wins greater than half of the general votes, the one with the least votes is eradicated “and everybody who voted for them has their vote moved to their second alternative”. “This course of is repeated till one candidate receives over 50 p.c of the votes and is elected,” ERS explains on its web site.
It says AV would cut back tactical voting and stop “extremist”, polarising candidates from successful seats.
The place else on this planet has the first-past-the-post system been used?
The USA, Bangladesh and Ethiopia, amongst many different former British colonies nonetheless use first-past-the-post to elect their legislatures. Canada and India elect their decrease homes by first-past-the-post.
Final month, results from India’s 2024 lower house elections had been launched. The governing Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) gained a vote share of 36.6, grabbing 240 seats, or 44.2 p.c. The closest rival Indian Nationwide Congress gained 21.2 p.c of the votes however solely 18.2 p.c, or 99 seats.
Each of India’s giant events contested the election in alliances comprising regional events. The Congress-allied Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) gained 0.7 p.c, or 4 seats with a vote share of 1.6, in the meantime BJP-allied Lok Janshakti Occasion (Ram Vilas) gained 0.9 p.c of seats, or 5 seats with 0.4 p.c votes.
In 2019, the BJP gained 37.3 p.c of votes and 55.8 p.c of seats, or 303 seats.
Australia did away with first-past-the-post in 1918, Eire in 1922, South Africa in 1994, Tanzania in 1995, and New Zealand in 1996.