Effects
The effect of a system based on single seat constituencies is that the larger parties gain a disproportionately large share of seats, while smaller parties are left with a disproportionately small share of seats. For example, the 2005 UK General election results in Great Britain were as follows:
| Seats |
Seats % | Votes % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | 355 | 56.5 | 36.1 | 9,552,436 |
| Conservative Party | 198 | 31.5 | 33.2 | 8,782,192 |
| Liberal Democrats | 62 | 9.9 | 22.6 | 5,985,454 |
| Scottish National Party | 6 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 412,267 |
| Plaid Cymru | 3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 174,838 |
| Others | 4 | 0.6 | 5.7 | 1,523,716 |
| 628 | 26,430,908 | |||
It can be seen that Labour took a majority of seats, 57%, with only 36% of the vote. The largest two parties took 69% of votes and 88% of seats. Meanwhile, the smaller Liberal Democrat party took over a fifth of votes but only about a tenth of the seats in parliament.
Read more about this topic: First-past-the-post Voting
Famous quotes containing the word effects:
“I am fearful that the paper system ... will ruin the state. Its demoralizing effects are already seen and spoken of everywhere ... I therefore protest against receiving any of that trash.”
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)
“Some of the greatest and most lasting effects of genuine oratory have gone forth from secluded lecture desks into the hearts of quiet groups of students.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
“Let us learn to live coarsely, dress plainly, and lie hard. The least habit of dominion over the palate has certain good effects not easily estimated.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)