- Each voter casts two votes at the same time – one for a constituency MP and the other for a party.
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There are two different types of MPs elected – constituency MPs and the ‘additional members’ (those elected using the party lists).
The voter casts one vote for a constituency MP. This process is identical to the FPTP system as it operates on a simple majority basis. The candidate with the most votes wins, even if they poll fewer than half of the vote.
The second vote is cast for a party; and the voter may wish to vote for a party different from the one supported in the first vote. These votes are added up to give a national total for each party. The second vote is list-based, meaning that the parties themselves will decide which of their candidates are elected.
It is the outcome of the second vote that will enable a proportional result to be achieved.
Minimum threshold
The system may operate with a minimum threshold above which a party must poll in order to gain representation. In Germany the threshold is set quite high at 5% and was originally designed to prevent the emergence of the Nazis and to prevent against extremist parties from wielding disproportionate influence.
Where is the AMS system in use?
The AMS system has been used in elections to the Bundestag, the house of elected representatives in the Federal Republic of Germany, since 1949.
Elections to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and the Greater
London Authority are taken under an AMS system.
Strengths and weaknesses of the system
Strengths
• Combines proportionality with constituency representation.
• Single member constituencies – good link between MP and voters.
• Even if their chosen candidate has no chance of winning, at least voters
have a party vote which will go some way to help their chosen party.
• Provides a high degree of stable government.
• The system has worked well in Germany.
Weaknesses
• Half of the MPs elected are not directly accountable to the electorate:
they have no effective constituency based support.
• Two types of MPs – constituency MPs have a greater workload.
• The list-based element allows parties to decide who will become an MP.
Too much power wielded by party headquarters.
• Small parties can feel excluded despite polling many votes nationally.
• Argued that the system combines worst aspects of FPTP and the list
system: candidates being elected in constituencies with under half of the
total vote, and voters having no say over which name appears in which
position on the list.
A further Hybrid
The Jenkins Commission for electoral reform rejected the AMS system along with the many others including the Alternative Vote (AV). However, Lord Jenkins suggested that another hybrid system, AV+, might be considered as a possible reform of the current British system of FPTP.
AV+ can either be a variation on the Alternative Vote or an adaptation of the AMS system.
The purpose of AV+ is to ensure both a proportional result and that every MP is returned with a majority of their electorate.
The system is the same as the AMS system except that instead of the constituency vote being based on FPTP it is based on the Alternative Vote.
References for further reading
Voting Behaviour and Electoral Systems – Chris Robinson
