With the upcoming elections in Israel, and the recent vote at the UK Labour Party conference by members to support Proportional Representation, we thought it would be a good time for Politics students to understand different types of governmental structure. In a rapidly changing political field, this is a short guide exploring Proportional Representation (PR) and Alternative Voting (AV) models, comparing to the UK first-past-the-post model (FPTP). It follows our newsletter on “Israeli coalition government collapses, triggering 5th election in 3 years”

What has happened with the Israeli coalition government?

• As the opposition parties attempted to bring down the government, by voting against legislation and engineering defects of a number of MKs, many MKs in the coalition quit or refused to vote in protest of the government’s conduct.
• The coalition government was made up of parties across the ideological spectrum, from Yamina party (right-wing), Yeah Atid (centrist), to Labour and Meretz (left-wing). It most notably included an Arab Israeli/Palestinian Citizen of the United Arab List.
• Prior to disbandment, they worked together to stabilise governance and pass a budget (the first time in 3 years).

What is PR and AV? And how do they compare to the current UK model of FPTP?

• PR is an electoral system in which the distribution of seats corresponds closely with the proportion of the total votes cast for each party.
  • For example, if a party gained 40% of the total votes, a perfectly proportional system would allow them to gain 40% of the seats.

• AV is used to elect chairs of most committees in the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker & by-elections for hereditary peers. 
  • Voters rank candidates in order of preference.
  • First preference votes are counted first, and if a candidate receives more than 50% then they are elected.
  • If no candidate reaches 50%, the candidate with the fewest first preference votes is eliminated. Their second preference votes are reallocated to the remaining candidates. If one candidate has more votes than the other remaining candidates put together, that candidate is elected.
  • The process is repeated until one candidate has more votes than the other remaining candidates put together. This candidate wins the election.

• FPTP is an electoral system in which a candidate or party is selected by achievement of a simple majority. 
  • The House of Commons and local councils in England and Wales use the first-past-the-post system.
  • The UK is divided into constituencies, and at a general or local election, voters put a cross (X) next to their preferred candidate on a ballot paper. 
  • Ballot papers are counted. The candidate with the most votes represents the constituency or ward.

What should be considered about the value to keep or change the UK electoral model?

• How might current UK parties such as the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party feel towards a switch in governance?
• With PR, how can coalitions find common ground with conflicting ideological views?
• What downsides can arise due to PR or AV? Similar to the Israeli gov’t, would a switch in the UK result in more party division? 
• Which model of governance do you believe increases voter turnout? Which makes voters feel more heard?

If you want any advice, contact us. If you're a teacher or school leader and want to know more about discussing this issue with your students, you can find out more here.

SOLUTIONS NOT SIDES