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Vote reformers want to switch to STV

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Published Date: 18 May 2007
VOTING reform campaigners today seized on the chaos of the Holyrood election count to call for a change of system before the next Scottish Parliament poll.
The Electoral Reform Society said the local council elections, run under the Single Transferable Vote for the first time, produced far fewer spoiled ballot papers than the Scottish Parliament elections held at the same time.

The ERS published an
initial analysis of the elections, showing an average spoilage rate of 1.98 per cent in council votes compared with 3.5 per cent for the Holyrood election, which uses a combination of first-past-the-post and a top-up list.

And the society backed moves by the Liberal Democrats to bring in STV for the next Scottish Parliament elections due in 2011.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Nicol Stephen tabled a Holyrood motion calling on the UK Government to introduce legislation for the change of system.

And Jo Swinson, the party's Scottish affairs spokeswoman at Westminster, tabled a Bill to amend the Scotland Act to allow for the use of STV for future Holyrood elections.

The Evening News revealed earlier this week that only 1.3 per cent of council votes were spoiled in Edinburgh, compared with 5.2 per cent of Holyrood constituency votes, and 3.1 per cent of Holyrood list votes.

Around 142,000 ballot papers were rejected in the Scottish Parliament elections.



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  • Last Updated: 18 May 2007 8:34 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Holyrood Elections
 
1

Stephen Harte,

18/05/2007 11:51:29

STV would allow a real choice for voters as they would be able to choose between candidates offered by parties rather than just accept a list that the activitists had devised.

2

Auld Twa,

Edinburgh 18/05/2007 12:41:12

The sooner that STV is brought into all elections the better. Look what a shake up there has been in the councils, maybe the going will be tough to begin with but in the end it is much fairer for the voters. Under FPTP about half the voters are permanently disenfranchised.

3

frank mcbride,

lusitania 18/05/2007 13:02:42

STV should be brought in as the voting system at all elections.

However, be assured that it will NEVER happen because the Unionist parties know what will happen!!!

4

AF,

Aberdeen 18/05/2007 13:25:12

STV may not have had as many spoiled papers, but discriminated arbitrarily against people whose surnames are late in the alphabet. Where two candidates for the same party were on the ballot paper, the one earlier in the alphabet almost invariably got more votes.

The pretence (repeated in comment #1) that STV is better because it allows people to choose between individuals in a party is generally not true. The vast majority of people actually decide their vote by choosing among parties rather than candidates - if that wasn't the case, seats whould switch between parties much more often. And under STV, many of the parties only put up a single candidate in each area anyway, giving the voter no choice even if they did want to choose between candidates.

If the STV-supporters, particularly the Lib Dems and SNP, really believed it was important to "allow a real choice", they would always put up more than one candidate even where they only expected to win one. But in the council elections, they didn't.

5

Scots Man,

18/05/2007 13:35:29

Definitely - lets set an example and embrace the voting system that is the best - and that is STV

6

Scots Man,

18/05/2007 13:36:03

and it could alwqays be listed randomly rather than alphabetically =

7

iRoy,

18/05/2007 15:00:08

#4 "STV may not have had as many spoiled papers, but discriminated arbitrarily against people whose surnames are late in the alphabet. Where two candidates for the same party were on the ballot paper, the one earlier in the alphabet almost invariably got more votes."


Exactly how did you come by the figures that prove your point?

8

Cabaret Voltaire,

18/05/2007 18:27:36

I'll stick with the BBC thank you very much.

9

Eve,

Scotland 18/05/2007 22:56:44

#8. Cabaret Voltaire: ha, ha. very funny!!!! The BBC was a wee bit in the slow side in keeping with results as they happed. (but this no about the telly, & you know that!!!)

10

Paul Halliday,

18/05/2007 23:43:56

STV is far less fair. Bigger parties who have the time and moneyto figuer out how many people to run in each area have an advantge. Also the whole thing about STV having less spoilt ballots is hillarious if the holyrood elections had been on two papers they would have had even less I'm sure.

11

John Sutherland,

Edinburgh 19/05/2007 13:20:20

I would be happy for the STV system to be used for the Holyrood elections, especially if that Labour field two candidates in the same constituency in the same way that fielded two candidates for the same ward in the Edinburgh Council elections, thereby splitting the Labour vote and losing seats as a result.

However, that system led to the Lib-Dems becoming the largest party on the Edinburgh Council and as it is the Lib-Dems who are trying to push that through both at Holyrood and Westminster, I suspect that there might be a bit of biasness here towards the unliberal and undemocratic "Fib-Dems".

12

John Sutherland,

Edinburgh 19/05/2007 13:25:48

The only other thing which I would add is that if Jo Swinson is so hell-bent on supporting the STV system, why isn't she calling for that to be introduced into Westminster General Elections as that might be the only means by which she would hold onto her seat at the next Westminster General Election?

13

daveserviceman,

Edinburgh 20/05/2007 08:33:41

Is not STV a communicabledisease?
Lets go back to a one party dictatorship that would eliminate the need for elections preferably controlled by the military


 

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