When it comes to voting in Scotland for the Parliamentary elections, if you are 16-years-old or over, you are not going to be casting a single vote. Instead, you will cast two votes. This system is known as the Additional Member System, and the main reason for its existence is to make elections more proportional – ensuring more fairness between the parties in ‘addition’ to the election of a regional representative. So, how does it work?
The Additional Member System
In Scotland the number of seats available for Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) is 129. For the first vote, cast on a purple ballot paper, you will be selecting one representative for your constituency where you live. Scotland has 73 constituencies. The candidates that receive the highest number of votes will represent these constituencies. It operates in a similar way to the Westminster first-past-the-post system. What happens with the 56 remaining seats?
This is where the Additional Member System makes our voting system in Scotland different from the Westminster system. These 56 seats will be occupied after you cast your vote on the peach ballot paper. This time you will be casting one vote for a party in your region (a larger area made up of multiple constituencies).
Scotland is divided into eight regions, therefore, there will be seven candidates (parties) per region. How are these candidates elected after these regional votes are counted? Through a simple mathematical formula!
Working out the maths for the regional list
The formula is:
regional votes/(number of constituency MSPs already won in region + 1)
This formula is applied for the second vote per round. The winner in each round is the party with the highest number of votes after each calculation. The process is repeated until seven candidates are allocated per region.
If a specific party does very well in the constituency vote, it is much less likely to get a regional seat, so the final vote gets balanced. This assures a proportional vote, without a majority party winner, though exceptions have occurred in the past.
A practical example:
A region is made of seven constituencies. There are four parties disputing the election.
Party A: 62,000 votes
Party B: 64,000 votes
Party C: 60,000 votes
Party D: 38,000 votes
Party A gets two MSPs in the constituency voted in for this region. Therefore, their total vote numbers will be divided by three. Party B gets four MSPs, so their total votes will be divided by five. Parties C and D get one and zero MSPs in the first phase, having their votes divided by two and one, respectively. Following this rule for each party, in this case, Party D is the winner in round one. The same process is followed in all regions until all 56 seats are allocated. There are more details in the table below.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Additional Member System
I’ve touched on the advantages of this system: more proportionality, fewer votes going to waste, and increased regional representation. The disadvantages are that the system still relies on first-past-the-post for the constituency vote, where some votes can be wasted if one or more parties dominate. This can also lead to weaker governments (coalitions) and can be gamed by list-only parties.
Your vote matters
One thing is certain: your vote is fundamental to our democracy – the policies you believe in influence how laws can be implemented across Scotland. So read the party manifestos carefully, pay attention to what politicians are doing where you live and examine if they are acting in accordance with what they have promised in past. Your vote is meaningful and it matters; it shapes all our lives and has direct impact on what we consider is best for the future of Scotland.
More in Politics
Bylines Network Gazette is out!
The latest Bylines Network Gazette is out now. Become a Friend of Bylines Network or upgrade to a paid Substack subscription, and you will get access to a vital collection of citizen articles and stories.
Journalism by the people, for the people.
