- CHOICE
- Reps are elected in large multi-member constituencies.
- In NI Assembly elections, 18 constituencies lect 6 members.
- Proportional Representation. Used in Northern Ireland Assembly and European Parliament election in Northern Ireland.
- Voters vote by ranking as many candidates as they want in order of preference.
- Any candidate which meets the quota after first preference votes are counted as elected.
- When they hit the quota, their second and subsequent preferences are shared among other candidates.
- This process goes on until all the seats have been filled.
- In 2017, the DUP won 28% of first preference votes and Sinn Féin 27%.
- Used in NI Assembly, local gov and European Parliament.
- ADVANTAGES
- Wider choice – Gives voters a wide choice so people may feel better represented if there is more of a variety of political candidates on offer to choose from. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – South Antrim: there were 10 candidates to choose from.
- Internal choice – Voters are able to choose candidates from the same party so it gives voters more choice, allowing them to choose between candidates from the same party. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – South Antrim: 3 DUP candidates were elected.
- Representation – Each constituency has several seats available/allocated so voters are widely represented as more than one party is representative of the constituency in accordance to the votes they receive – may increase turnout in the future if people feel more represented. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – South Antrim: 6 assembly members were elected for the constituency from 10 candidates.
- Proportional – Seats won are awarded in proportion to votes won so the result seems for legitimate to the public and people may feel better represented. For example, in 2011 Sinn Fein received 26% of the seats for 26% of the votes.
- DISADVANTAGE
- Complex – Complicated system that voters may not be able to understand which leads to voters feeling confused and may lead them to not respect the legitimacy of the result and potentially deter them from voting the future, affecting turnout. When STV was introduced for local council elections in Scotland, there were many spoilt ballot papers.
- Internal conflict – Voters are able to choose candidates from the same party meaning candidates from the same party have to compete against each other, which could cause conflict and splits in the party. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – South Antrim: 3 DUP candidates were elected.
Unstable – Seats won are awarded in proportion to votes won so no single party gains a majority = power sharing – takes a long time to pass decisions which could have a negative impact in events of crisis etc. In 2011 Northern Ireland assembly election – Belfast South: 5 parties each gained a good share of the seats.