"Some scholars have suggested that elections in representative democracies should ideally accomplish four goals. First, a parliament reflecting the main trends within the electorate, a government according to the wishes of the majority of the electorate, the election of representatives whose personal qualities best fit them for the function of government, and lastly a strong and stable government." An ideal electoral system would accomplish all four of the aforementioned goals. .
Single member plurality has two main advantages that satisfy the last two goals for elections in representative democracies. First of all, representatives who have personal qualities that are best suited for the function of government are elected through single member plurality. When a voter casts a vote for a party or for a candidate, the voter is also selecting a government. Therefore, the voters are able to chose the people that they believe will be most successful at running the country. The ability to elect those who are best suited to run the country satisfies one of the four goals that should be accomplished by representative democracies. The "first-past-the-post" system also has a tendency to produce strong, stable majority governments. Achieving a strong stable government satisfies another of the four goals of representative democracies. Thus, single member plurality satisfies the last of the two goals to be achieved by representative democracies. .
4.
Although the current system of "first-past-the-post", or single member plurality, accomplishes the second two goals, it does not meet the first two goals. In the federal election of the year 2000, the Liberals won only 40% of the popular vote, but gained 57% of the seats in Parliament. The Progressive Conservative party, on the other hand, won 12% of the popular vote, but gained only four percent of the seats. The same trend is also visible within the provinces.