Articles by Ian Simpson

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Ian Simpson, Senior Research Officer

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The rise of multi-party voting at UK general elections

With votes for parties, and independent candidates, other than Labour and the Conservatives reaching a historic high of 42.6%, the 2024 General Election saw a significant shift towards multi-party voting. The combined Labour and Conservative...

Posted 19 Dec 2024

New polling finds proportional representation still much more popular than First Past the Post

Every six months or so, since November 2019, the pollster YouGov have been asking the British public the following question regarding electoral reform. Some people support a change in the British voting system to proportional...

Posted 11 Dec 2024

Fewer than a quarter of people have backed retaining First Past the Post

Unlike the UK, Ireland’s voting system can cope with changing voter preferences

When Ireland goes to the polls for its general election, on Friday 29 November, it will mark over 100 years of elections using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) form of proportional representation for the Irish...

Posted 28 Nov 2024

Ireland's general election will mark a century of national elections held using the Single Transferable Vote

Could Trump lose the popular vote for the third time but secure a second term as President?

Before the last US Presidential election, in 2020, we asked whether it was possible for Donald Trump to again lose the popular vote but win the Presidency, as he had done in 2016. Although this...

Posted 05 Nov 2024

Much like in the UK, the First Past the Post style Electoral College can crown the wrong winner

Four striking general election outcomes showing the chaos of First Past the Post

The dust is settling on the results of the 2024 UK general election. We have a Labour government for the first time since 2010, with a majority of seats almost as big as Tony Blair’s...

Posted 18 Jul 2024

Manifestos outside the big two parties: Putting democracy on the agenda

Last week we looked at the sections of the Labour and Conservative manifestos that touched on democracy-related issues. This week, we turn our attention to the other parties that are standing candidates in virtually all...

Posted 19 Jun 2024

Imposing First Past the Post on these roles was a mistake

The recent mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections took place under a First Past the Post (FPTP) system, where people are able to put just one ‘X’ on their ballot – choosing only one...

Posted 15 May 2024

Did eight Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners win due to voting change

First Past the Post means 100,000 Welsh voters were denied a say in the last local elections

Local elections are an important part of democracy in Wales. But did you know that thousands of voters have a councillor that nobody voted for at all? Due to the Westminster-style First Past the Post...

Posted 15 May 2024

74 councillors in Wales took their seats without a vote being cast

Changes to First Past the Post style Electoral College increase chances of Trump victory

Barring an act of God, 5 November 2024 will see a rematch of the 2020 US Presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Looking back at the nationwide result in 2020, you would be...

Posted 26 Mar 2024

Biden won by 7000000 but Trump just needs to gain 44000 in the right places

How many hung parliaments has the UK had?

Westminster’s First Past the Post (FPTP) system often results in some parties gaining far more seats than their vote share deserves. But there is no guarantee that this un-earned ‘bonus’ always means one party gets...

Posted 14 Feb 2024