Britain is the land of democracy, with every citizen having the right to vote for whichever party they desire. The electoral system is commonly known as first past the post, and although it was picked for its speed and simplicity, there are discrepancies in regard to its fairness to all parties. There is no definite answer to the question, should the voting system be reformed, and first must arise the discussion of how the voting system could be reformed, and subsequently would it be beneficial to our electoral system.
Reforming the voting system may not be such a dramatic change, as it would first appear, over the years there have been alterations made which have often proved beneficial. People can now vote in supermarkets, postal voting has also been made simpler. Plans to change to electronic voting also loom ahead of us, however, regardless of the modifications there remains one common goal, to make voting easier and more accessible to the general public. .
Presently the first past the post system is regarded as simple, and fast. Due to the fact that each MP represents a precise geographical area, MPs can afford to be more in touch with the public, and contactable if there is a problem, this can be seen as a good reflection on the first past the post system. Another positive aspect is that usually clear majority votes are produced for one party or another. Which therefore means diminutive coalitions, which can give minority parties excessive influence compared with their support.
However the electoral system is not without its imperfections, otherwise reformation would not be an issue., there remains to be the following inadequacies with the system; there is no individual. Mandate, due to MPs being elected without the majority of all votes, this results in disgruntled voters who feel that their vote has been wasted. Parties who come second or third place often have large numbers of votes, but still only win few seats, resulting in disillusionment for the candidates.
