Powys – Electoral Reform Society – ERS

Second Welsh consultation backs STV as Powys residents nearly two-thirds in favour

Tom Abraham — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 08:55:27 +0000

There was more fantastic news out of Wales last week, as Powys County Council released the results of their consultation on whether to change the voting system used at local elections. The results weren’t even close. Like in Gwynedd, the Single Transferable Vote (STV) was the clear favourite of residents of Powys.

An incredible 60.2% of respondents favoured STV over the current First Past the Post system. Furthermore, this consultation had a much higher response rate than others with almost 1300 people sharing their views. This clearly shows that voters really feel strongly about the need to make our elections fairer.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Over 10,000 voters across Powys were denied their voice at the 2022 local election as there was just one candidate standing in their ward. In Machynlleth, the 2022 election marked the first time in over 40 years that residents could cast a vote in a local election, as all elections in the ward had been uncontested since 1980.

Judged by the response, Powys residents don’t feel that they live in a particularly healthy democracy.

Residents of Powys want change

This consultation clearly shows what the people of Powys want. With under a third of respondents supporting First Past the Post, it is obvious that voters are fed up and want change.

For far too long, the First Past the Post system has wreaked havoc with our elections. It has prevented some residents from voting, and it has fostered a political environment that favours partisanship over working together.

It’s clear that the residents of Powys want change and can see that STV can be that change.

Now, it is up to councillors to represent their constituents at a special council meeting this Thursday. With two-thirds of councillors needed to pass this change, we urge them to vote with the people’s will in mind and say yes to STV.

Add your name: All councils in Wales should adopt STV

[update] Unfortunately, despite our strong campaign and all of your efforts, with 21 voting for STV and 33 against, the motion did not receive the necessary votes.

Powys: Have your say on fairer elections

Matthew Mathias — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:30:04 +0000

Powys County Council have just taken the next step of their journey towards fairer elections by launching a consultation on changing the voting system at local elections.

The consultation comes following the passing of a law in the Senedd which allows Welsh councils to choose how their councillors are elected, enabling councils to choose between First Past the Post, and the tried-and-tested Single Transferable Vote. Now, over the next six weeks, you have the chance to have your say on this potential change.

Complete the consultation

So, what would this change mean and why is it needed?

Currently, you elect your councillors in the same way you elect your MP – by using the First Past the Post system. Whereby, the candidate (or candidates in multi-member wards) with the most votes gets to represent your area regardless of whether they have a majority of votes or not.

The problem with this system is that it does a poor job at translating how we vote into how we are represented at a local level. It is possible for a party to receive a large percentage of votes but not get the same representation in terms of seats – or vice versa. Leaving swathes of votes underrepresented.

At the last local elections in 2022 we saw this first hand. In Cardiff, for example, the Plaid Cymru/Green coalition received 17% of the vote but gained just 2% of the seats available. Meanwhile, Labour gained almost 70% of the seats on less than 45% of the vote. On the other hand, in Ynys Môn, the Conservative party received 19% of votes but did not gain a single seat. So, this is an issue that affects parties from across the political spectrum right across Wales.

In addition to this, the current system can leave parts of the electorate with no choice at all. In Wales, 6% of all seats up for grabs were uncontested and here in Powys, 10% of all seats were uncontested. This means that there was only one candidate on the ballot paper; so over 10,000 eligible voters had no say in how the council would be run for the next five years. Surely this is an unacceptable situation to have in a democracy?

The proposed change would swap this system with the Single Transferable Vote (STV) – which is already used in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In this system, you’ll be part of a bigger constituency and elect 4 or 5 councillors.

On the ballot paper you’ll be able to rank candidates; putting your favourite as number one, your second favourite number two, and so on for as many candidates as you like. This then tells the people counting to move your vote if your favourite candidate has enough votes already or stands no chance of winning.

The resulting distribution of seats will represent the diversity of views in your area much better and there’ll be a far more proportional relationship between votes and seats – and we know this because we have been able to see it in action in Scotland.

Scotland’s experience with STV

Scotland has used STV at local elections since 2007 and has seen a huge difference in the outcome of their elections. Parties now receive roughly the same percentage of seats as votes and there is far less chance of parties gaining power with ‘unearned majorities’, where parties receive over 50% of the seats with less than 50% of the vote.

The chance of there being uncontested seats has also reduced too. In the 2022 election, only 18 seats were uncontested (1.5% of the total). This is the highest number of uncontested seats that Scotland has had since changing systems and is significantly lower than the 74 (6%) in Wales. At the 2007 and 2012 elections, there were no uncontested seats whatsoever.

Beyond just numbers, percentages and representation; having a more proportional voting system has a real difference in the way parties govern too. STV makes it harder for parties to govern on their own unless they get over 50% of the vote. As a result, politicians often need to look for support amongst other parties, which results in a more collaborative and pragmatic approach to government.

So, what can you do?

If you’re a Powys resident reading this and despairing at the unfairness of elections in the county, the great news is that over the next few weeks you have the chance to have your say on changing the voting system at local elections.

Powys County Council are currently holding a consultation on the issue and are looking for thoughts and comments from residents on the proposed change. For the change to happen two-thirds of councillors will need to vote for it, so it’s absolutely vital that people fill out the consultation to show councillors that there’s a real appetite for this change.

To have your say, complete the consultation here

Tell Powys you want STV

Powys and Gwynedd lead the way for Welsh councils with consultation votes

Matthew Mathias — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 18:26:53 +0000

There was fantastic news for voters coming out of Powys and Gwynedd today, as their County Councils have voted YES to public consultations on scrapping First Past the Post for their elections and bringing in the fair and proportional Single Transferable Vote.

Councillors in Powys voted 34 for a consultation and 26 against, with 2 abstentions. While Councillor in Gwynedd voted 43 for, 8 against with 2 abstentions.

Powys and Gwynedd County Council are the first councils in Wales to take this step since a law was passed in 2021 that gave councillors the power to move to the Single Transferable Vote (STV). The Single Transferable Vote is a fairer, improved way for us to choose our councillors – that’s been used in Scotland and Northern Ireland for over a decade.

Local elections in Wales leave a lot to be desired

In the last set of local elections in Wales we saw over a third of councils get ‘unearned majorities’ where a party holds over 50% of the seats on less than 50% of the vote.

Take for instance Cardiff, where Labour hold 70% of the seats with just 47% of the vote. Or Ynys Môn, where Plaid Cymru have 60% of the seats despite winning 41% of the vote. This goes the other way too, across Wales parties lose as much as they gain from the distorting effects of First Past the Post. Plaid, standing as Common Ground with the Greens in Cardiff, ended with just 2 of the council’s 79 seats despite winning 17% of the vote across the city. It really is an electoral toss up for who gets represented – and who gets to set the agenda locally.

Our campaign for local electoral reform in Wales

While I’ve been driving up and down the country talking to councillors, ERS members and supporters have been playing their part in campaigning for everyone to be represented.

A third of all councillors in Wales have been emailed by someone in their ward asking them to support the Single Transferable Vote. Supporters in Powys and Gwynedd have played a vital role, contacting their councillors in the run up to the vital vote. If you live in Wales you can use our tool to contact your councillors.

Even with so much opportunity we were still disappointed to hear a lot of misinformation spouted by people who like the status quo. One councillor even said that STV would end the proud tradition of independent councillors – something that would be a surprise to the 152 Independent councillors in Scotland, elected with the Single Transferable Vote!

What’s next?

The consultation is the first step, but to finally rid themselves of First Past the Post in time for the next election, Powys and Gwynedd will need two-thirds of their members to agree to a resolution before the 15th of November 2024. If you live in either council area please keep an eye open for the consultation.

By passing responsibility for changing the local electoral system to councillors themselves, and demanding a 2/3rds vote, these rules stack the deck against change. But Wales has a proud history of struggling for the vote in the first place, and has always pushed to be at the forefront of democratic change. Why should we settle for less at a local level?

It’s time our councils caught up and gave us a local democracy worthy of a modern, forward-looking nation.

Add your name to our call for local PR in Wales