Thread by @electoralreform

The results of a snap election are likely to be clear as mud when it comes to translating voters’ preferences, with vote splitting, wasted votes and unfair results on an industrial scale

One in four (24%) voters are planning on voting ‘tactically’ – rather than for their first choice – increasing the likelihood of random results under Westminster’s winner-takes-all voting system, according to BMG polling for the ERS

Westminster’s voting system rests on a handful of marginals changing hands: “Eleven seats were won by less than 100 votes in 2017. North East Fife was held by the SNP by just two votes. The Conservatives could have won an absolute majority on the basis of just 533 extra votes

Few really believe a third General Election in the space of four years will ‘fix’ the current impasse: the only agreement seems to be that there is yet more volatility coming our way, with parties hoping to gain from the chaos

It’s funny to remember that Westminster’s voting system is supposed to deliver ‘strong and stable’ government. Clearly it has totally failed to do what it says on the tin, and no wonder – people are rightly shopping around, but this two-party system is totally unable to cope

First Past the Post voting is now an engine of volatility, which could make the current problems even worse. We could see a ‘wrong winner’ election – where the biggest party did not win the most votes – another hung parliament, and wasted votes in the millions

It’s time to join other advanced democracies in backing a fair voting system - to #MakeSeatsMatchVotes

This must be the last election conducted using Westminster’s scandalously unfair electoral system. It’s time for Westminster catch up with the rest of the world, with proportional representation and an end to disaster of winner-takes-all voting

This election will be a ‘hold your nose’ ballot, with one in four feeling forced to vote tactically for their second or third choice. It's absurd

A snap election guarantees nothing but an unfair lottery for voters. Let’s build a democracy fit for the 21st century, with an electoral system that encourages cooperation, not gridlock

ERS analysis of the 2017 election found that millions of people’s votes were thrown on the electoral scrapheap. 68% of votes had no impact on the result – representing 22 million votes going to waste

In June Prof Sir John Curtice told the ERS: "Britain’s traditional two-party system is facing its biggest challenge yet in the wake of the Brexit impasse. If that challenge persists it would seem inevitable that there will renewed debate about the merits of the FPTP system”

The latest YouGov poll puts Labour and the Conservatives on joint support of 59% - far below their 82% reached in 2017. The result is likely to be random results under Westminster's binary system, and a 'lottery election' for voters

We're calling for a proportional voting system for Westminster - the Single Transferable Vote used for Scotland’s local elections and elections in Ireland

The warped nature of the system is reflected by the fact that in 2017 it took around...

500,000 votes to elect a Green MP
200,000 per Lib Dem MP
49,000 per Labour MP
43,000 per Conservative MP
28,000 per SNP MP
29,000 per DUP MP

The ERS warned earlier this year that the party system is at breaking point inews.co.uk/news/politics/…

For latest figures on the broken system see our report on England's 2019 local elections electoral-reform.org.uk/latest-news-an…