It’s 3 for 3! Residents’ consultation in Ceredigion is the third to back fair votes under STV

Tom Abraham — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:49:05 +0000

There was more fantastic news out of Wales today, as Ceredigion County Council released the results of their consultation on whether to change the voting system used at local elections to the fairer Single Transferable Vote (STV) form of proportional representation.

An incredible 67% of respondents favoured STV over the current First Past the Post system. This means that there were huge majorities in favour in all three councils that chose to consult their residents (60.2% in Powys and 72.2% in Gwynedd). This clearly shows that voters in Ceredigion and beyond feel strongly about the need to make our elections fairer.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Just like in multiple councils across Wales, there were residents in Ceredigion who were unable to express their views at the ballot box because only one person stood – so no election took place. In total, 13% of seats in 2022 in Ceredigion were decided in this way, without a single vote being cast. That’s not a sign of a healthy democracy.

Looking at the consultation responses, it’s clear that Ceredigion residents don’t feel as though this system is allowing their voices to be heard.

Residents of Ceredigion want change

Furthermore, this was not limited to a small demographic – STV was the preferred system in every single age group. Young people were particularly eager for the change. In both the 16-24 and 25-44 age brackets, over 80% of respondents were in favour. They can see that proportional representation is the future.

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 is plainly clear that voters in Ceredigion are fed up with this and want change. Now, it is up to councillors to make FPTP a feature of the past at the council’s vote on Thursday 14^th November.

With two thirds of councillors needing to back this change for it to pass, there is an uphill struggle ahead of us. Yet over two-thirds of consultation respondents favoured the Single Transferable Vote, so we are urging councillors to follow their lead and vote for this change in similar numbers.

Add your name: All councils in Wales should adopt a fairer voting system

Ceredigion: Have your say on fairer elections

Matthew Mathias — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 11:26:32 +0000

Ceredigion 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 Ceredigion, 13% of all seats were uncontested. This means that there was only one candidate on the ballot paper; so over 7000 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 Ceredigion 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.

Ceredigion 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

Tell Ceredigion you want STV