This is the system we use for voting for MPs in General Elections.

This system of voting for an MP is very simple: One vote-one candidate-one constituency. It is quick and voters have a direct link to their MPs. If a constituent wants to contact an MP about a problem, they know to whom to turn. It usually produces clear majorities for one party or another.

The correct name for the type of electoral system which is used in the UK is the Plurality System. People often refer to it as first past the post because it describes the system very well. Put simply, it means a system in which the candidate who gets more votes than any other candidate is elected.

The main argument against this system is that in an election with more than two candidates, it may result in the election of a candidate who has received only a minority of the votes cast, so most of the people the MP is representing didn't vote for him/her.

Parties which come second or third often get large numbers of votes but few seats, so smaller parties don't get many MPs in the House of Commons. For example in 1992 the Liberal Democrats won 18% of the votes and 3% of the seats.

In the same way it is possible for a party to win most seats with a minority of votes, but fewer than one of its rivals.

Some seats are so 'safe' for one party that supporters of another group have a vote which won't make any difference to the outcome. It is therefore wasted.

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