Polling watchdog warns of alphabetical voting bias

Chief Scottish Political Correspondent

Thursday 28 February 2013

LISTING election hopefuls on ballot papers in alphabetical order gives some candidates an unfair advantage, the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) has warned.

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ROBBIE DINWOODIE CHIEF SCOTTISH POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

In a report on last year's municipal elections, the polling watchdog said the problem was most marked in the Single Transferable Voting (STV) system used to elect councillors in multi-member wards since 2007.

It recommended candidates should be listed at random.

In findings that have wider implications for the Holyrood and Westminster polls, the ERS found the voting system had worked well and bedded in.However, it said: "Alphabetic voting remained relatively common in 2012. In no less than 80% of those instances where one of the four main parties nominated a pair of candidates, the candidate higher on the ballot paper won more first preferences than their running mate did."John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University said: "The Government needs to think carefully about the wisdom of listing candidates in alphabetical order."Our elections shouldn't give an Anderson an inbuilt advantage over a Young."Willie Sullivan, director of ERS Scotland said: "The first STV election in 2007 saw massive changes in how local democracy worked in Scotland. Voter choice more than doubled, uncontested seats became a thing of the past, and the rotten boroughs that plagued Scotland were undone."2012 saw the new system bedding in, with both voters and parties making the most of the possibilities presented by STV. "Scotland clearly has lessons for those in England and Wales who believe their local democracy can and should be better." Mr Curtice added: "STV has given voters the opportunity to express a more nuanced choice. 2012 confirmed that Scots are willing to use the opportunity to cast more than one preference, and to vote across party lines. "Independents have done well under the new system. Personality still matters to some and under STV reaps its reward.""Meanwhile, a majority of councils are now being run by single party administrations. "The fears of those who felt that proportional representation would result in multi-party instability and greater party domination of local government have not been realised." Professor Curtice said that while there were some lessons for other elections, interest in party identity tended to trump any alphabetical listing.

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Local government

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Polling watchdog warns of alphabetical voting bias

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