Recently at Katherine Warington School, students from years 7 to 12 went to the ballots to select their 4 preferred candidates for the Head Student role. A perfect example of young people getting involved in a semi-political system, one that arguably has the most direct effect on their daily lives.

As a politics student, I couldn’t help but compare the system in which Head Students are elected in KWS with how MPs are elected in the national Parliament. Currently, we use First Past the Post, a form of voting in which the candidate with the highest vote share takes the seat, even if they did not win a majority. Although it is responsible for producing several stable governments like Conservative rule (1979-1997) and Labour (1997-2010), it is possibly one of the least proportional systems to be in use, in other words, it doesn’t represent the views of the people entirely.

So what are the different options? First Past the Post isn’t the only electoral system used in the UK. Scotland uses the Additional Member System for elections to the Scottish Parliament. Each person gets two votes in order to select representatives for single-member districts (SMDs). There is also a fixed number of other “additional members” that are elected from a separate list to make the seat share more proportional to the votes cast for party lists. Wales adopts a similar model for its elections (until 2026), while Northern Ireland uses the Single Transferable Vote, a highly proportional system that gives voters greater choice and ensures that a wider range of political views are represented.

Despite this, each system has its own positives and negatives. AMS and STV tend to reflect voter preferences more accurately, but they often produce coalitions. These are governments that are made up of two or more parties (this was seen in 2010 with the Conservative-Liberal Democrats coalition government). Systems like First Past the Post typically deliver clear winners but often mean seat share does not reflect vote share. This was seen in 2024 when Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won the most disproportionate victory in recent history, winning 63% of seats on merely 33% of the public vote.

When we look at these alternatives through the lens of the Head Student election, it becomes clear how the method of voting shapes outcomes. Our approach of allowing students to select multiple candidates resembles a a system almost proportional rather than a traditional single winner contest. This arguably brings wider support, and promotes a more representative and inclusive leadership team. It mirrors wider debates in British politics about how best to balance fairness and clarity

Ultimately, the choice of which system to use is incredibly important. It influences who holds power how effectively different voices within a community are heard. Whether in Westminster or within a school’s student leadership, the structure of the vote is a powerful determinant of democratic legitimacy.

Syan B

Politics Subject Ambassador

Katherine Warington School