A GREEN councillor is calling for reforms to the voting system at the next local election. 

Parties that come to power in the UK are currently elected through the First Past the Post system, where the distribution of seats does not accurately reflect the share of votes each party receives. 

But critics of the system say voters often have to tactically vote against certain candidates getting in; for example, a Green supporter may feel the need to vote for a Labour candidate to stop a Conservative winning as the Labour candidate has a better chance of unseating the Conservative. 

Moordown councillor Joe Salmon has tabled a motion for the full council meeting on Wednesday, October 15, proposing the authority’s leader Millie Earl lobbies to the government for the “electoral fairness”. 

He, along with Lib Dem councillor Oliver Walters, have called for BCP Council to agree to lobby for the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. 

This system, the motion says, is “a proportional representation system that aims to allocate seats more fairly, ensuring that the majority of votes contribute to the election outcome”. 

BCP Council’s next election is in 2027 and councillors Salmon and Walters want the election to be used as a trial for the STV system. 

Cllr Salmon said: "Our voting system cheats most voters out of a voice, leaving our politicians out of sync with the will of the people.  

“In a time of crisis—whether it’s the rising cost of living or the urgent need for climate action—it's clear our towns can't afford this broken system any longer. 

“The only other country in Europe which still uses first past the post is Belarus, an economic backwater with corrupt politicians.  

“If we want to avoid becoming ever more similar to them we need to fix this pronto." 

He added STV is used “successfully” elsewhere in various elections within the United Kingdom, such as the Northern Ireland Assembly and local elections in Scotland. 

He added: “STV incentivises positive campaigning, as candidates must seek not only first-choice votes but also second and third preferences from a broader electorate.” 

Single transferable voting systems ask voters to rank candidates by preference. 

First preference votes are then calculated and the third place candidate is disqualified if no candidate reaches 50 per cent plus one of the vote. 

The system then adds the second preference votes for either of the two remaining candidates to their totals, which should take one candidate to a majority. 

However, depending who is eliminated after the first round, it could place the frontrunner at a disadvantage.