Research some possible alternatives to the First Past the Post (FPTP) system. Argue which one, in your opinion, is the best to replace FPTP. Please explain the alternative you chose thoroughly for your classmates, and include other countries, if any, that use it. Or, argue that we should keep FPTP, providing evidence as to why its better than specific alternatives (250 words min).
Helpful links: First Past the Post Explained (watch again if needed) Proportional Representation, explained (youtube) The Alternative Vote, explained (youtube) Single Transferable Vote, explained (youtube) MIT Election Alternatives Debate (article) Electoral College Alternatives (Word Doc) Please feel free to use other sources, but please cite any/all cites you use in MLA format. In addition to your post, comment on the posts of two other classmates (3 posts total). Due: Tuesday, November 27th before class.
22 Comments
McKay Shockley
11/25/2018 06:05:03 pm
First Past the Post (FPTP) is a voting system in which there is one vote per citizen and it’s a winner take all deal. It is a simple system, but there are a lot of cons. One of the cons is that majority rule is very common. A candidate might get more votes but if there are multiple people running, then the candidate that won might have gotten only a small percentage of the vote overall, so only a small number of people are represented by someone they actually like. Another problem is that FPTP would most likely become an unavoidable two party system. This means that third party candidates will not get a chance because people have become used to the two party system. Some electoral college alternatives are Proportional Representation, The Alternative Vote, Single Transferable Vote, and a couple others. In my opinion, the best alternative to FPTP is the Single Transferable Vote. In that system, there are multiple representatives for the citizens of that place. The citizens rank the candidates who are running and if any candidate has the number of votes needed or exceeds the number then they are a representative. The person with the lowest amount of votes gives their votes to a person they like better and has more votes. Some countries that do use the Single Transferable Vote system are Scotland and Ireland. Ireland uses it for the Northern Assembly, local elections, and Parliament elections. Scotland uses it for local elections as well.
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Courtney
11/25/2018 09:28:48 pm
I agree with the cons of the FPTP voting system, in my post, I talked about the absence of the third party candidates and the majority rule! Though it may seem very simple, there are definitely huge issues. I read about your Single Transferable Vote, very interesting never heard of it.
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Nathan
11/26/2018 01:32:21 pm
I do agree with the cons of the First Past the Post System and do believe it should be changed as well. The Single Transferable Vote does seem to work and I think it would help parties other than republican and democrats arise and they could have a chance to win also. This system would be beneficial compared to the FPTP System.
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Anna
11/26/2018 09:13:18 pm
I agree with you and I even used the same alternative as you. By using the Single Transferable vote it eliminates people continuously voting for the same two parties and expands people's views.
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Landon
12/11/2018 12:40:41 pm
I do not think that the Single Transferbale Vote system is fair, because it still does not give represntation to third party candidates.
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Adam Buell
12/20/2018 02:28:00 pm
I also agree with the cons of FPTP, but it would be best to find a system that doesn't hinder 3rd parties.
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Courtney
11/25/2018 09:26:22 pm
First Past the Post, also known as FPTF, is a system which a citizen votes, where there is only one vote per person. At the end of the voting, whoever wins the most votes, is simply the winner (Grey, CGP). The biggest issue to me about this system of voting is there wouldn’t be any third party candidates able to run. Unfortunately in this system, only two parties are able to run. Another issue as said in the video is the majority rule, in this system of voting majority role plays a large part since if there were a lot of people running, the candidate that won may had only gotten a tiny percent of the overall vote for all candidates. So in my opinion, the smartest alternative to First Past the Post voting system, is tactical voting. Tactical voting is when a citizen votes against, not for a candidate (“Tactical Voting.”). So, this means that instead of being pro a candidate and voting for them, they are anti a candidate and vote against them, so that the person they greatly dislike has a lesser shot of winning. Citizens that claim themselves as strictly republican or strictly democrat even use this system if their parties candidate is an absolute disgrace. In my opinion, this is a good alternative because its a way the citizens vote, they don’t have to feel like they’ve got to vote for their party. They can either vote against their party candidate, or vote against the other party. I believe it’s a smart way of thinking.
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McKay Shockley
11/27/2018 12:34:16 pm
I like this alternative Courtney! It's an interesting way to vote and I feel like in some ways, it would be beneficial. In my opinion for the alternative, this was kind of similar. If one person was running with a lot of other people running and they got the most votes, they give their votes to the next person they like the best.
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Landon
12/11/2018 12:42:33 pm
Tactical voting, in my opinion is not an alternative to FPTP. It is not a good alternative, because it does not solve the problem of majority wins.
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Adam Buell
12/20/2018 02:28:50 pm
I agree with these systems, where a 3rd party could rise
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Nathan
11/26/2018 01:24:40 pm
The First Past the Post system is broken and needs to be replaced with a smarter and more reliable system. This system will be replaced soon and a good replacement would be the National Popular Vote System. Instead of the electoral college choosing a candidate even if that state’s popular vote was not for that candidate, the state’s popular vote will decide the way the electoral college will vote no matter what. This respects the citizens vote because if a state’s popular vote is not won at the electoral college, it makes people feel like their vote did not count at all considering the electoral college just voted however they wanted to. Also this eliminates the smaller states having more say in the electoral process. The popular vote would get rid of this and allow all states to have an equal say in the electoral process. The National Popular Vote System works well and efficiently. It respects the people’s vote and helps the candidate who worked hard to earn the popular vote. This would also eliminate candidates campaigning more in swing states with specific issues because they will need to earn the popular vote of the people in all states. This still would not let an independent shine as much but it improves the people’s vote in each state and ensures that the candidate with the popular vote will win and that is what should happen. The National Popular Vote System would be a great alternative and the people of the U.S. would like this very much considering it would respect their vote.
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Nathan
11/26/2018 01:37:43 pm
Dizikes, Peter. “Scholars Ponder Better Ways to Elect a President.” MIT News, 23 Oct. 2012, news.mit.edu/2012/presidential-election-conference-1023.
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Courtney
11/26/2018 02:00:59 pm
I agree with your points if why the First Past the Post system isn't smart or reliable and that it needs to be disregarded. I like how the National Popular Vote System works out, where it ensures that the person with the most votes should win, but in the FPTP that also happens, just in a different way. Nice alternative!
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Anna
11/26/2018 09:15:13 pm
I agree with you because all states should have an equal vote in who wins elections. This was my second choice alternative because it made sense to me. Nice job!
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McKay Shockley
11/27/2018 12:36:53 pm
I agree with you Nathan, this is a nice alternative! I agree that the First Past the Post system is broken and that it needs to be replaced. This is an interesting alternative, I do feel like independents should get more attention if they would like it but I feel like there are some benefits to this alternative.
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Zizhe Liu
12/17/2018 09:02:05 am
I agree with you.
Anna
11/26/2018 09:11:57 pm
First Past the Post, also known as FPTP, is a voting system in which one citizen gets one vote and the winner takes all. This system is very simple and seems to work until you take a closer look at it. This system has many flaws and one of the most important ones is majority rules the vote. This means that if more than two people are running, the candidate who won would only be getting a small percentage of the vote in perspective of the other candidates running. This is a con because then only a small percentage of people support the person who actually won. Another important flaw is that third party candidates will never be elected because people become so familiar with voting for only two parties and this discourages people from smaller parties from running. There are other alternatives to the First Past the Post system which are Proportional Representation, The Alternative Vote, Single Transferable Vote, and the MIT alternative. I think that the best option is the Single Transferable Vote because there are many candidates running in a single place. In order for these candidates to be elected they need a certain number of votes in order to pass onto the next stage of voting. When a candidate is eliminated, they give their votes to another person that they agree with or like. There are two countries that use the Single Transferable Vote and they are Scotland and Ireland. These two countries use them in local elections.
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Landon
12/11/2018 12:38:05 pm
First Past the Post is an electoral system in which voters indicate the candidate of their choice on a ballot, and whoever gets the most votes, wins. This system is typically referred to as “the winner takes all”. This system is not full- proof , because the winner of the election is not necessarily the winner of the popular vote, or who everyone wanted to be in charge. FPTP can also easily become a two party system, because not every candidate is backed by a PAC or someone with a lot of money and power, just like in United States elections. Tactical Voting is something that can often happen with FPTP, and it is where citizens will cast their vote for a candidate they either do not know anything about or that they do not even like, just to make another candidate lose. This strongly affects smaller party candidates, because people who participate in tactical voting, are usually casting their vote for a popular candidate so that their vote is not ‘wasted’. The proportional plan is a good alternative in my opinion, because it makes the voting process more fair. This plans will keep the Electoral College, but it makes it so each state will receive a certain amount of electoral votes based on the percentage of votes in the state.
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Zizhe Liu
12/17/2018 09:01:45 am
First Past the Post (FPTP) is a voting system where each citizen has one vote and all trades are winners. This is a simple system, but it has a lot of drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is that most rules are common. Candidates may get more votes, but if there are multiple people running for the campaign, the winning candidate may only get a small portion of the overall vote, so only a few people are represented by the people they really like. Another problem is that FPTP is likely to become an inevitable system for both parties. This means that third-party candidates will not be able to get an opportunity because people are used to the two-party system. Alternatives to some electoral colleges are proportional representation, alternative voting, single negotiable voting, and several others. A good alternative would be the popular voting system across the country. Even if the state's popular vote is not suitable for the candidate, the electoral college will not choose a candidate, and the state government's public opinion vote will determine the way the electoral college votes, no matter what. This respects the referendum, because if the electoral college does not win a state vote, it makes people think that the vote of the voter university is just the vote they want. The people voted and helped the hard-working candidates win the popular vote. However, this will also lead to more campaigns in swing states with specific problems, as they need to win popular vote for all state people. This still won't make an independent shine, but it improves the vote of the people of each state and ensures that candidates who pass the vote will win, which is what should happen. The national popular voting system will be a good choice, and the American people are very keen to do so because it will vote.
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doris
12/17/2018 10:43:26 am
i agree with you
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doris
12/17/2018 10:42:57 am
The electoral system is in which voters indicate on the ballot the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who gets the most votes wins. This is sometimes called winner-takes-all. A simple majority is a majority vote. The losing party or parties did not win any representation at all. The advantage of this method is that it can effectively respect people's opinions to choose a suitable candidate. However, the disadvantage is that a small number of people will lose any chance to win.FPTP is a common but not universal feature of an electoral system divided by member elections, which take place in nearly a third of countries. The proportional Representation is a system of voting in elections by which all political parties are represented in the government according to the number of votes they receive in the whole country. The Alternative vote also known as instant runoff, an election in which voters rank candidates according to their preferences. If any candidate obtains a majority of the first preference votes, the candidate shall be deemed elected.The Alternative vote requires voters to rank candidates according to how good they are. People can choose and make as many preferences as they want. At first it was just a matter of counting the first priority votes. Finally, when this situation continues until one candidate gets half or more votes in this round of voting, or no more votes need to be allocated. The advantage of this kind of selection system is that it can make good use of democracy to choose a candidate that the people like.
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Adam Buell
12/20/2018 02:26:24 pm
First Past the Post voting has been the simple, winner take all system in the United States since its founding and it is still used today in Presidential Elections with the Electoral College. However, in recent years, flaws have been shown in the current voting system and many have demanded for change in the way we vote. There are several methods in which have been mentioned for a replacement to our current voting system, with the first being called the Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). In this format, instead of marking which candidate the voter would like to choose, they would instead list all of the candidates running in preference, through a ranking. Another alternative could be a proportional allocations of voters per state, meaning changing the number of votes in which each state would get. Another alternative to the Electoral College System would be to get rid of it completely and then use a new form of voting, called Direct Vote with a Plurality Rule. In this system of voting, it would more accurately reflect voters and their preferences, with a candidate needing to win two thirds majority of the Senate, or three fours of the states votes in order to win the election. One final system that could be used could be the system that Maine and Nebraska use, where the states would be split up into districts and a candidate would have to win each district, receiving a fraction of the states overall votes, so it would be possible for two candidates to get votes from the same states.
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