Advantages of the Additional Member System (AMS)

This section delves into the benefits of AMS in promoting representative democracy. It focuses on the system's ability to produce more proportional results and foster diverse political representation.

Example: The d'Hondt formula used in AMS makes it harder for parties with many constituency seats to win regional seats, effectively removing the concept of a 'winner's bonus'.

AMS encourages more parties to participate in elections, representing a wider range of ideologies. This diversity can potentially increase voter turnout. The system also facilitates coalition governments, allowing multiple parties to have input on policy-making.

Highlight: AMS performs well in facilitating representation of a wider section of society, promoting a more inclusive democratic process.

The section also addresses potential drawbacks of AMS, such as its complexity and the possibility of voter confusion due to split-ticket voting. However, it argues that these issues are minimal compared to the problems associated with FPTP.

Vocabulary: Split-ticket voting refers to the practice of voting for different parties in constituency and regional ballots in AMS.

Introduction to Electoral Systems

This section introduces the comparison between First Past the Post (FPTP) and the Additional Member System (AMS) in terms of their effectiveness in promoting representative democracy. The analysis aims to evaluate which system better reflects the will of the people.

Definition: Representative democracy is a system that reflects the will of the people through elected representatives.

The introduction acknowledges that both systems have benefits and drawbacks. FPTP is noted for its simplicity, tendency to produce strong single-party governments, and clear MP-constituency links. AMS, on the other hand, is highlighted for its more proportional results, split-ticket voting, and lack of a 'winner's bonus'.

Highlight: The essay argues that AMS is more effective at promoting representative democracy compared to FPTP.