The voting system is the way we choose the people who represent us in government.
There are many ways to do this. For example, there could be 650 areas that each choose one Member of Parliament (MP), or one area that chooses all 650, and other systems in between. Do you vote for a person or a political party? Do you give one vote, more than one vote, or instructions to pass your vote to someone else?
The type of system we use decides how our government acts, whether it represents the people, and whether we can hold it responsible if it does not do its job well.
In the UK, there are several voting systems used at different levels of government. Each system works differently and affects voters, political parties, Parliament, and the government in different ways.
Some systems make the number of MPs match the number of votes, some connect MPs to local areas, and some give voters more choice over who is elected.