what is the additional member system
- a hybrid election system (also known as the Multi-member proportional) that combines FPTP and the party list
- it is used to elect the Scottish parliament, Welsh assembly and London assembly
How does it work?
- members get two votes once cast for the constituency MP under the FPTP system some seats are filled this way (57% of the Scottish parliament are elected through single member constituencies as well as 67% of the Welsh assembly)
- the other vote is for a party the rest of the votes are filled this way strictly on a proportional basis using a national list, a regional list or sometimes even STV
Name advantages of the additional members system
- it combines the best features of FPTP and proportional representation as this balances the desirability of constituency representation with that fairness of outcomes
- voters have greater choice: split-ticket voting is allowed: the practice of voting for candidates from different parties in an election
- voters are easy to count and it is not difficult for voters to understand how the outcome is reached
Disadvantages of AMS
- it creates two categories of representatives, one with constituency duties one without this may create tensions within the legislative assembly
- smaller parties are often under-represented because in many multi-member seats, only a few representatives are elected. Large parties are over-represented if other votes are split evenly between many small parties
- parties have significantly control over he closed lists used to elect additional members and voters cannot chose between candidates from the same party
Name a case study
- in 2016 Scottish parliament dominated the constituency contests wining 59 out of 73 seats but added only four list seats (allocated in a corrective way) the party fell two seats short of a parliamentary majority and formed a minority government
- this was the second time the AMS had produced a minority government the 1999 and 2003 contests produced a labour-liberal democrat coalition
Discuss your introduction
- Outline what the additional member system
- include an example of the additional member system such as it being used in the Scottish parliament
- include an alternative argument
- include your argument
Paragraph one:
P: One strength is that AMS leads to a more proportional electoral result.
E:The percentage of seats gained is roughly equal to the number of votes
E:in 2016 the SNP party won 59 out of 73 constituency seats and won 46.5% of the vote and in 2011 general election which again used AMS, the SNP got 45% of the vote and gained 53% of the seats. This contrasts with Westminster who uses the FPTP system and holds disproportional seats where conservatives in 2015 won 36.8% of the votes but this was then translated into 50.8% of seats. This is the result of the winner’s bonus.
Counterpoint: Although AMS entails a more proportional result, voters have a limited choice. E: Yes voters do have a split ticket ( the practice of voting for candidates from different parties in an election) The second vote is for a party and not a candidate so the eventual AMS are chosen by the party.
E:The end result of this has negative consequences such as parties having the potential to punish candidates if they step out of line. An example of this would be Margo Mcdonald was an SNP MSP but after falling out with the party, she was placed sixth on the SNP for the lothian region meaning she had a little chance of becoming MP again
Paragraph two:
P: creates coalition or minority government.
E: This is a weakness as it makes it harder for laws to pass due to alternative views and tensions.
E:An example of this would be the minority SNP government that was formed in 2007-11 of which they had difficulty passing laws as they were not the majority in government and so had to rely on support from MSPs from other parties to win votes in parliament. For example, in 2010 they failed to pass a law on alcohol minimum pricing mainly because the labour party voted against it. This opposes the FPTP system of which creates strong government
CP: It could be argued that the fact that coalitions are more likely under this system is beneficial
E: This is due to the fact that it means that parties have to cooperate and compromise.
E: For example, in the labour/Lib dem coalition from 1999-2003 the coalition ensured that Scottish students did not have to pay to go to college or uni
Paragraph three:
P: One strength of this system is that smaller parties are represented
E:This is beneficial as it means they are able to be heard as opposed to voting systems such as FPTP which largely results in a two party system
E:For example in 2011, Conservative MSPs and 2 green MSPs (members of the scottish parliament) were elected in the Scottish parliament and in the past socialist MSPs have gained traction.
Counterpoint: at the same time this could also lead to extremist parties such as the BNP party which is a far right fascist paty.
E: in 2011 the BNP gained 2,500 of the votes in glasgow. However, this was not enough to gain an MSP however, even with electoral systems such as FPTP, extremist parties were still about to make way UKIP in the 2014 local elections won 163 seats .
