Government to ditch ‘Supplementary Vote’ system for mayoral and PCC elections in favour of ‘First Past the Post’

The Government has unveiled measures to apply the ‘First Past the Post’ system to the election of council and ‘metro’ mayors across England, and to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) across England and Wales.

It claimed: “In this May’s London Mayoral elections, the Supplementary Vote system saw hundreds of thousands void, wasted or blank votes cast, reflecting voter confusion and the complex system. Supplementary Vote also means that a ‘loser’ candidate can win on second preferences. In 1931, Winston Churchill described transferable voting as ‘the decision is to be determined by the most worthless votes given for the most worthless candidates.’”

The Government argued that the change to First Past the Post would further strengthen the accountability of elected mayors and PCCs to their electorate. The person chosen to represent a local area should be the one who directly receives the most votes, it added.

Chloe Smith, Minister for the Constitution and Devolution, said: “Britain’s long-standing national electoral system of First Past the Post ensures clearer accountability, and allows voters to kick out the politicians who don’t deliver. First Past the Post is fair and simple – the person with the most votes wins.”

Luke Hall, Minister for Local Government, said: “Elected mayors can provide strong leadership, and must be held to account at the ballot box. The supplementary vote is an anomaly which confuses the public and is out of step with other elections in England, both local and national. Moving to First Past the Post will make it easier for voters to express a clear choice.”

The government will be bringing forward amendments to the Elections Bill to deliver these changes.

The changes will be implemented for the election of combined authority ‘metro’ mayors, the Greater London Authority mayor, elected council mayors, across England; and Police and Crime Commissioners across England & Wales.