1. FPTP v. PR Mock Election Lesson Starter What is an election?
What do you think is the point of an election?

2. Voting Systems There are two main types of voting in the UK
First Past the Post (FPTP)
Proportional Representation (PR)

3. Voting Systems First Past the Post (FPTP)
This is when the candidate with the most votes is elected

4. Voting Systems First Past the Post (FPTP)
Parties put forward candidates and voters then vote for one of these candidates

5. Voting Systems Proportional Representation (PR)
This is when the number of votes a party gets = a proportional number of seats

6. What do we mean by proportional?
If 4 people were to share a cake equally, each person would get one quarter or 25%
Each gets a fair proportion

7. What do we mean by proportional?
With PR, the number of votes a party gets is roughly equal to the number of seats in parliament the party gets.
E.g. if a party gets 25% of the vote, they get 25% of the seats

8. Voting Systems Proportional Representation (PR)
So in PR, you vote for a party rather than a candidate
The party chooses who gets the seat from a list of their best people

9. Election Rules… You have one vote in each election
Put an “X” beside your chosen candidate/party
Fold once and put in ballot box

10. Class Election We will have 2 elections – one FPTP and one PR
FPTP – candidates:
John Smith – Labour
David Anderson – Conservative
Harry Hill – Liberal Democrat
Jock McDonald - SNP

11. FPTP Results… Candidate Party Votes John Smith Labour David Anderson
Conservative
Harry Hill
Liberal Democrat
Jock McDonald
SNP
Winner =

12. Class Election We will have 2 elections – one FPTP and one PR
PR – parties:
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrat
SNP

13. PR Results… 2 votes = 1 MSP Party Votes MSPs gained Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
SNP

14. Party Lists Labour John Grey Diane Abbott Margaret Curran
David Blunkett
Tony Benn
Conservative
Annabel Goldie
Ruth Davidson
Jackson Carlaw
David Cameron
Liberal Democrats
Nick Clegg
Paddy Ashdown
Charles Kennedy
Tavish Scott
SNP
John Mason
Nicola Sturgeon
Kenny MacAskill
John Swinney
Task
Write a list of the names of MSPs elected using the PR system.

15. Which is better?
Think of the advantages and disadvantages of each system and write them down…