Our First Past the Post [FPTP] voting system produces 'winners’ who don't even gain a majority of votes cast.

In the 2021 local elections, the Conservatives took 54% of the seats on Cornwall Council despite winning only 38% of the vote. Under FPTP, majority control is handed out to the minority.

Because of FPTP, the percentage of seats won locally and nationally by each party bears little resemblance to their overall share of votes received. It is fundamentally undemocratic and forces voters to support the least worst option through tactical voting, depriving them of the opportunity to express their true democratic wishes at the ballot box.

A proportional voting system, such as Single Transferable Vote, would eliminate the tactical voting dilemma, offering real and effective choice in the polling booth and enabling everyone to choose candidates they want to support without fear of ‘wasting’ their ballot.

We, the undersigned, call on the incoming Administration of Cornwall Council to declare their support for Proportional Representation.