The Supplementary Vote System

Exploring the Supplementary Vote System

The Supplementary Vote (SV) system is an electoral process where voters are given the opportunity to select their first and second choice candidates. This system aims to ensure that the elected candidate has broad support by requiring them to secure a majority of the vote, either through first preference votes alone or a combination of first and second preferences. If no candidate receives an outright majority in the first round, all but the two candidates with the highest number of votes are eliminated. The second preferences on the ballots of the eliminated candidates are then allocated to the remaining two candidates. The SV system is primarily used in the United Kingdom for the election of mayors and police and crime commissioners. It is designed to provide a more representative outcome than the First Past The Post system, particularly in races with more than two candidates.

The Supplementary Vote Process

In the Supplementary Vote system, voters mark their ballot with a '1' for their first-choice candidate and a '2' for their second choice. Should a candidate gather more than 50% of the first preference votes, they win the election outright. If this majority is not achieved, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and a second round of counting occurs. During this round, the second preference votes from the eliminated candidates' ballots are added to the totals of the two leading candidates. The candidate who then has the highest aggregate of first and second preference votes is declared the winner. This method is intended to ensure that the elected candidate represents a consensus choice of the electorate, rather than simply being the most popular initial choice.

Origins and Adoption of the Supplementary Vote

The Supplementary Vote system was proposed as an alternative to the First Past The Post electoral method to better capture the preferences of voters and to ensure that elected officials have the support of a majority of the electorate. It was adopted in the United Kingdom in the 1990s as part of a wave of electoral reform and was first used in the 1998 London mayoral election. Internationally, variations of the SV system are employed in different contexts, such as the 'Contingent Vote' in New Zealand, for presidential elections in Sri Lanka, and in some instances in the United States, including Alabama for certain judicial appointments.

Supplementary Vote Versus Alternative Vote

The Supplementary Vote differs from the Alternative Vote (AV), or Instant-Runoff Voting, in several respects. While AV allows voters to rank all candidates in order of preference, SV restricts them to just two choices. In AV, the redistribution of preferences continues until one candidate achieves an absolute majority, which may require several rounds of counting. The SV system, on the other hand, concludes after just one redistribution of second preferences, which may result in a winner without an absolute majority of the total votes cast. This distinction highlights the different mechanisms each system uses to approximate a fair and representative outcome.

Evaluating the Supplementary Vote System

The Supplementary Vote system has been subject to critique for potentially favoring consensus candidates who may not have strong first preference support and for not fully capturing the electorate's preferences as comprehensively as full-preference ranking systems like AV. Moreover, in instances where a candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, second preferences are disregarded, which can lead to some voters feeling that their votes have been wasted. These points of contention were prominent during the 2011 UK referendum on adopting the Alternative Vote, which ultimately resulted in the retention of the First Past The Post system.

Pros and Cons of the Supplementary Vote

The Supplementary Vote system offers several benefits, including promoting majority support for the winner and allowing voters to indicate a backup preference, which can enhance voter engagement and satisfaction. It also helps to prevent the vote splitting that can occur under First Past The Post systems. However, SV is not without its drawbacks. Limiting voters to only two preferences may not fully reflect their views in contests with many candidates. The complexity of the system can also pose challenges for voter comprehension and participation. Additionally, there is the potential for wasted votes if both of a voter's preferred candidates are eliminated in the initial round. Despite these challenges, SV aims to more accurately represent voter preferences and translate them into political representation.