House of Lords written question – answered am ar 23 Hydref 2009.
Lord Grocott
Llafur
To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) which electoral systems operate in the United Kingdom, and (b) what was the turnout at the most recent election in which each system was used.
Lord Bach
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
Details of the electoral systems which operate in the United Kingdom and the approximate turnout at the most recent election (excluding by-elections) in which each system was used are set out in the table below:
| Electoral system | Election | Approximate Turnout |
| First Past the Post | Local County Council Elections (England)—2009 | 35.0% |
| Westminster Parliamentary Elections—2005 | 61.0% | |
| Additional Member System | Greater London Assembly Election—2008 | 45.0% |
| Scottish Parliamentary Election—2007 | 51.7% | |
| National Assembly for Wales Election - 2007 | 43.5% | |
| Closed Party List System | European Parliamentary Elections (England, Wales and Scotland)—2009 | 34.7% |
| single transferable vote | European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland)—2009 | 42.8% |
| Northern Ireland Assembly Elections—2007 | 63.0% | |
| Local Government Elections (Scotland)—2007 | 53.8% | |
| Local Government Elections (Northern Ireland)—2005 | 62.8% | |
| Supplementary Vote | Bedford Borough Council Mayoral Election—2009 | 30.9% |
| Greater London Mayoral Election—2008 | 45.0% |
Yes1 person thinks so
No1 person thinks not
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The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
The single transferable vote (STV) is a voting system that allocates seats in a parliament or committee in proportion to the number of votes recorded. This is in contrast to the first-past-the-post system, which may result in political representation failing to reflect votes cast. Under STV voters indicate their support for individuals who they feel will best represent them, unlike in list systems where they must choose a political party.
STV ballot papers include a list of the names of each candidate standing in the election. Voters are asked to place a number "1" next to their first choice candidate and a number "2" next to their second choice candidate, a number "3" next to their third choice and so on.
At the first stage of the count each ballot paper is awarded to their first choice candidate and candidates with the required number of votes (called the quota) are elected. If a candidate has more votes than the required number of votes a proportion of these votes may be transferred after considering the preferences expressed by the voters.
Candidates who receive very few votes are usually excluded and each of the votes is transfered according to the preferences expressed by the voter.
In Northern Ireland STV is used for European and local elections as well as for elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly. STV is also used for local elections in Scotland.
