A very simple change to our first-past-the-post (FPTP) system
would make it fairer and more representative. Simply allow voters
to vote for as many of the candidates as they like. The candidate
who receives the most votes will still win, and everything else can
remains the same, but this system eliminates the scenario where
people vote for their second choice because their first choice is
unlikely to win. They would be able to vote for both of them in the
knowledge that their vote has not been wasted.
This system has many of the advantages of both proportional and
transferrable votes, with the added advantage that it is very
simple to administer and to explain to new voters. It is used
successfully by some professional societies.
Compared to FPTP, this system produces a winner who more accurately
represents the peoples' opinions. It also results in more votes
cast for smaller parties, which gives the winner valuable feedback
about the popularity of opinions different from his/her own. In
that way, smaller parties can influence government even without
being elected.
This system could be implemented immediately, with only minor
changes to the equipment and system used and no increase in the
cost of holding an election.
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