Sadiq Khan secures victory in re-election with a narrow margin
In the recent re-election of Sadiq Khan as the Mayor of London, concerns have been raised about the fairness and representativeness of the voting system used. Dr Jess Garland, director of research and policy for the Electoral Reform Society, has criticized the First Past the Post (FPTP) system, arguing that England should adopt a fairer proportional voting system to avoid the distorted and random results produced by FPTP.
Dr Garland's comments come after Sadiq Khan won 43.8% of the vote in the FPTP system, which is less than the level of support he received under the Supplementary Vote (SV) system in previous elections. In fact, the mayor with the lowest vote share under the previous electoral system was Ken Livingstone, who received 44.4% of votes.
The Electoral Reform Society found that Sadiq Khan's win is the lowest level of support among Londoners who voted, compared to results under the previous electoral system. Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, notes that voter ID, which has prevented at least 14,000 people from voting in the past, is being implemented, making it more difficult for the public to exercise their fundamental democratic right.
Under FPTP, parties can take over 90% of the seats with less than half the vote, while other parties may receive no seats despite winning sizable vote shares. This was a concern raised by Dr Garland, who argued that England should adopt a fairer proportional voting system to better reflect the way people voted.
Dr Garland's comments suggest that the current state of politics in England is heading in the wrong direction due to making it harder for people to vote but easier for politicians to get elected by reducing voter choice at the ballot box. She calls for the scrapping of voter ID and improving access to voting, arguing that proportional representation would lead to fairer results at local elections and create council chambers that better reflect the way people voted.
The use of FPTP in the London mayoral election is a departure from the traditional use of SV in London mayoral elections, which is considered more appropriate for selecting single-person executives by allowing broader support to be factored in after initial votes, potentially producing a mayor with more democratic legitimacy. The shift back to SV under upcoming legislation (English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill) indicates concerns with FPTP's representativeness for London mayoral elections.
In terms of voter choice, SV provides more nuanced options because if no candidate wins a majority on first preferences, all but the top two candidates are eliminated and second preferences from eliminated candidates are considered. This can prevent a candidate winning solely due to vote splitting among similar candidates. FPTP offers only a single choice and the winner may secure office with less than a majority, potentially reducing voter satisfaction and representation of broader preferences.
Dr Garland emphasizes the need to set democracy on a better course by adopting a fairer voting system and improving access to voting. As the debate over the voting system continues, it is clear that the issue of fairness and representation in elections is a crucial one that requires careful consideration and action.
In line with Dr Garland's criticism, the lack of a fairer proportional voting system in England's politics might have contributed to Sadiq Khan's lower level of support in the recent London mayoral election. Conversely, Dr Garland advocates for the adoption of such a system, arguing that it would lead to more representative results and better reflect the way people voted.
