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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Polly Toynbee

Whoever wins today’s elections, democracy is the loser under first past the post

Nigel Farage after casting his vote for the local council elections in Walton-on-the-Naze, 7 May 2026.
Nigel Farage after casting his vote for the local council elections in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 7 May 2026. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Before a vote is counted, this much we know. More results than ever will involve the winning party getting a disproportionate amount of power, considering the number of votes cast for it; fewer people will get what they voted for. The ever more random roulette wheel of our voting system will produce wildly odd winners and losers.

Our never-fit-for-purpose first-past-the-post system breaks apart under the strain of having five or sometimes six parties bunched together with no more than 11 percentage points between them in the polls.

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