MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (010/08) issued by The Government News Network on 24
January 2008
The Government has
today published a review of voting systems which examines the
experiences of the different forms of elections introduced over
the last ten years in the UK.
This major review assesses elections to the Scottish Parliament,
Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly, and those to the
European Parliament, London Assembly and London Mayor, as well as
some international experiences.
Michael Wills, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, said:
"The sweeping programme of constitutional reform which we
have put in place since 1997 has brought with it a wealth of
experience of differing voting systems.
"This extensive and rigorous review examines those systems,
assesses the advantages and disadvantages, and also looks at other
methods of election. It is an important contribution to the
ongoing debate about voting systems.
"We hope this review will inform that ongoing debate but we
do so in the firm belief that the current voting system for UK
general elections works well, and that any future change would
require the consent of the British people in a referendum. Voting
systems must not become a focus of partisan action but need to
endure for many years."
The Review of Voting Systems: the experience of new voting
systems in the United Kingdom since 1997 looks at the way the new
voting systems have affected the proportional allocation of seats,
voters' choice, voter turnout rates, political campaigning,
social representation and administration.
The new systems include the additional member system used in the
National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Parliament and the
Greater London Assembly; the single transferable vote used in the
Northern Ireland Assembly; the closed party list system used for
the European Parliament; and the supplementary vote used for the
London Mayoral elections.
The Review finds that:
* there is no clear causal relationship between proportional
representation and a range of desirable outcomes;
* the new voting systems have led to more proportional allocation
of seats in devolved administrations, which has resulted in more
parties being represented in the elected bodies and given rise to
a tendency towards coalition government;
* it has not been the experience of the UK that voter
participation has risen with the introduction of proportional
systems, although there is some evidence that proportional
systems have a marginally higher turnout internationally;
* positive action policies have a greater impact on increasing
women's representation than more proportional voting systems;
* there has been little change to party campaigning, with
continued emphasis on winning constituency seats;
* changes to voting systems require significant research,
planning and testing to ensure voters understand the system and
can use their vote.
Notes to editors
1. Review of Voting Systems: the experience of new voting systems
in the United Kingdom since 1997 is available at http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/voting-systems-review.htm
2. A copy of the WMS is available at http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/announcement240108a.htm
3. The terms of reference of the Review were to provide a summary
of available evidence from:
* Voting systems used in the UK for the National Assembly for
Wales, the Scottish Parliament; the Northern Ireland Assembly; the
European Parliament; the Greater London Assembly; and the London
Mayoral elections;
* International experiences of voting systems, which mirror those
used in the UK;
* The findings of the Report of the Independent Commission on the
Voting system (Jenkins Commission, 1998);
* The report of the Independent Commission on Proportional
Representation report (ICPR, 2004) established at the Constitution
Unit at University College of London;
* Those parts of the Power Inquiry, an independent inquiry
established in 2004 and chaired by Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws,
that considered issues around electoral systems; and
* The findings of the Richard Commission in Wales and the
Arbuthnott Commission in Scotland.
4. The Additional Member System (AMS) is used for elections to
the Welsh Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and the London
Assembly. The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is used for elections
to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Closed Party List system is
used for the European Parliamentary elections and the
Supplementary Vote for electing the London Mayor.
5. This review also included the experiences of some relevant
international examples that have comparable voting systems,
including New Zealand (AMS, also known as the Mixed Member
Proportional system), the Republic of Ireland (STV) and the
Netherlands (a list system).
http://www.justice.gov.uk
ENDS