|
Editor's factfile: Thursday April 28
Will my vote count?
Through the first past the post voting system the winner takes all. To secure the constituency the winning candidate needs just one more vote than his or her nearest rival.
That effectively means that in a three-way marginal constituency - such as Ynys Mon in Wales - the votes of tens of thousands of electors are effectively discounted.
If in Ynys Mon Labour polls 11,000, Plaid Cymru 10,999 and the Tories 10,000, then over 20,000 voters will not get their preference.
Defenders of the first past the post system point out that once elected MPs represent all their constituents - rather than just those who voted for them.
Those who favour proportional representation point to the millions of votes which are effectively wasted around the country.
Critics of the current system question why millions of voters who live in seats where one party has a large majority should bother to turn out to vote unless they support the winning party.
|
