Sophie Butler: A guide to first past the post and how the system works for you

We all may have heard our parents talk about “voting” or the “general election” but how many of you are actually aware of the First Past the Post system? How many of you truly understand how it decides the outcome of an election? Maybe this is your first time even hearing about it. 

Well, you're in the right place, as it is all about to become very clear. 

Let me start by explaining that First Past the Post (FPTP) is the electoral system which the UK uses and it has been this way since the 19th century. 

The way the FPTP system works is by having a General Election which takes place every 5 years. This is where all eligible voters get to have a say on who runs the country and makes important decisions and policy.

The UK is divided into 650 areas, which we refer to as constituencies- within each constituency, the electorate will head to polling stations on election day. Here they choose from a list of candidates on a ballot paper who they would like to be their local member of parliament (MP) who will then represent the voters if they win. These candidates can either belong to a political party, such as the Conservatives, or they can be independent. The winning candidate wins by a plurality, this means that they just have to have more votes than any other candidate. They will then gain a seat in the House of Commons in London, and will be held accountable to represent and voice the concerns and wants of their constituents. 

Then, inside the House of Commons, the political party which wins a majority of the seats (326 or more) is able to form a government. If a party does not win over half of the seats, then they are able to form what is called a coalition government. The leader of the winning party then becomes the Prime Minister, a role we are all familiar with, who is ultimately responsible for the policy and decisions of the government.

The importance of your individual vote:

There is often a lot of talk about votes being “meaningless” and having “no impact”, however every vote has an influence and it is important to exercise your right to vote, even if you believe you cannot change the outcome. In instances when the election is very close, the winner can be decided by very narrow margins, sometimes just a few votes. And your individual vote could be the one that tips the balance, helping determine who governs.