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Why Holyrood’s voting system still favours larger parties

Everyone knows that First Past the Post favours the largest party. At the last Westminster election, Labour managed to turn 34% of the vote into 63% of parliament – a full 29 percentage points more....

Posted 24 Feb 2026

Scotland should look again at how its parliament is elected

How Sainte-Laguë could improve Scottish Parliamentary elections

Scotland’s Parliament has always been better at representing the political makeup of Scotland than Westminster. A parliament where votes mattered more, where power was shared, and where the political map reflected how people actually voted....

Posted 28 Jan 2026

D’Hondt often over-rewards parties that have already done well

What is the ideal number of MPs per constituency in proportional representation?

When choosing a proportional voting system, one of the most important decisions is the number of MPs each constituency elects – its ‘district magnitude.

Posted 26 Nov 2021

The smaller the constituency, the less proportional the results

What is the difference between D’hondt and Sainte-Laguë?

Looking at just Party List systems in western Europe, there is a lot of variation.

Posted 27 Jul 2021