Understanding FPTP and STV

And Reasons for Change

As I mentioned in my first post, I’ll be catering to different audiences. If you’re already familiar with the basics of FPTP (First Past the Post) and STV (Single Transferable Vote), please bear with me—this post is aimed at readers who might need a refresher.

First Past the Post (FPTP) is the system we currently use to elect our Members of Parliament (MPs). The UK is divided into 650 constituencies, each with around 70,000 voters. Here’s a map of the FPTP constituencies in West Yorkshire:

In each constituency, the candidate who receives the most votes wins. The strongest point of FPTP is its simplicity. However, its biggest weakness is that the overall result can distort the wishes of the electorate—but that’s a discussion for another post.

There are several alternative voting systems, and I’ll describe some of them in future posts. Since my focus is on advocating for the Single Transferable Vote (STV), let me explain that here.

The Single Transferable Vote (STV) starts in a similar way: the country is divided into constituencies. However, these constituencies are larger, and each one elects more than one MP. This allows for broader representation of different views, but I’ll save my full advocacy for another time.

STV is already in use in Ireland, where each constituency elects 3, 4, or 5 MPs. Here’s a map of the Irish constituencies:

In these posts, I’ll be showing how the UK could be similarly divided. The numbers 3, 4, and 5 may seem arbitrary, but there’s a good reason for these, which I’ll explain in an upcoming post.

I’ll be presenting a possible constituency maps for the UK, interspersed with posts that explain why I advocate for STV, provide historical context, and explore other issues related to the governance of the UK.

There’ll be more discussion pieces added

Subscribe for free updates

Return to the Menu Page