This past week’s mayoral elections marked a worrying milestone for democracy in England.
For the first time ever, two combined authority mayors have been elected on less than 30% of the vote – with one scraping by with just a quarter. This drastic drop in vote share follows the controversial decision to ditch the Supplementary Vote (SV) system in favour of First Past the Post (FPTP).
The result? Mayors with sweeping powers are now taking office with the backing of a small minority of voters.
What changed, and why it matters
Until recently, mayoral elections in England used the Supplementary Vote system. It allowed voters to indicate a first and second preference, ensuring that mayors had a broad base of support. If no one won a majority in the first round, second preferences helped determine a clear winner.
But last year, that all changed. The government pushed through a change in the 2022 Elections Act to impose FPTP – a system where voters pick just one candidate, and whoever gets the most votes wins, even if they’re far from a majority choice.
This year, we saw exactly what that means in practice:
- In Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Conservative Paul Bristow was elected with just 28.36% of the vote.
- In the West of England, Labour’s Helen Godwin won with a mere 24.97%.
Compare that to the previous elections under SV: in 2021, winning candidates in these regions had nearly 50% of the vote. The difference is stark – and troubling.
A system that no longer reflects the public
Our politics is no longer a simple two-party affair. Voters are no longer choosing between just two parties. Reform UK, for example, secured two new combined authority mayors in this election.
With growing support for more parties, voters are demanding more choice. But FPTP doesn’t cope well with this kind of political diversity. Instead, it encourages tactical voting, wastes huge numbers of votes, and allows candidates to win on increasingly shrunken vote shares.
What needs to happen
Combined authority mayors aren’t just symbolic roles. They hold huge budgets and powers over vital public services. They are meant to represent large populations and act as champions for their regions.
But more power must come with greater legitimacy. That’s only possible through a voting system that reflects the will of the people.
We need to a fairer preferential voting system for mayors to make sure voters have meaningful choice at the ballot box and that those elected have broad support from the communities they govern.
At a minimum, we must return to the Supplementary Vote system, which worked effectively for over two decades. Even better would be the Alternative Vote (AV), which lets voters rank as many candidates as they like and ensures that winners command genuine majority support.
Add your name to demand this government repair the damage and return to a fairer voting system
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