Electoral Reform

The electoral reform debate in the UK has intensified since the mid 1970’s. An electoral reform is a change in the rules governing elections, usually involving the replacement of one electoral system by another; in the UK the tern is invariably associated with the reform of ‘first past the post’ and the adoption of a proportional representation system.

Growing sympathy towards electoral reform within the Labour party was evident in two ways. First, Labour agreed that each of the developed and other bodies that the party planned to introduce it if it was returned to power would have a proportional representation voting system. Second, Labour committed itself to the establishment on the Westminster voting system.

The electoral reform has many advantages such as electoral fairness. All of the following reasons are for the electoral reform, electoral fairness dictates that a party’s strength in parliament should reflect its level of support in the country. In proportional representation all peoples votes have the same value and it doesn’t matter about the country they support. Every single vote counts so that nine if them are wasted so that they are cast for candidates or parties who lose the election. Governments elected under proportional representation will enjoy the support of at least 50 percent of those who vote. Proportional representation has implications for the relationship between the executive and parliament. Proportional representation systems distribute power more widely as more parties are involved. Decision-making becomes quicker and easier and also more effective.

There are also reasons against electoral reform such as clear electoral choice. First past the post aids democracy because it clarifies the choices available to votes. It offers voters a clear and simple choice between potential parties of government, each committed to a different policy. First past the post also established a strong and reliable link between a representative and his...