'All we want for Christmas is a vote that matters,' say Hackney campaigners
Hackney Make Votes Matter supporters posted Christmas cards to their MPs urging them to support their campaign to change way people currently vote in general elections. - Credit: Make Votes Matter
Cornershop frontman Tjinder Singh and other Hackney residents took to the streets to post Christmas cards to their MPs demanding a more equal voting system in future elections.
On December 12, Hackney Make Votes Matter (MVM) supporters took part in a nationwide Day of Action advocating to change the UK's first past the post (FPTP) voting system to proportional representation (PR).
The festive message from Hackney campaigners read: "All we want for Christmas is a vote that matters."
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Local MVM supporter Tjinder Singh, from the band Cornershop, said: “We need a fair voting system where all votes count otherwise the Tories will be in power forever."
Britain has used a FPTP system, where the candidate who wins the most votes in each constituency wins a seat in parliament, in general elections for centuries. It can result in a party which holds the majority of seats in parliament but a much smaller share of the nation's votes.
Frontman for the 1990s band Cornershop, Tjinder Singh, at a pre-Covid street stall in Hackney. - Credit: Hackney Make Votes Matter
The Conservative party currently holds a majority of seats with just 43.6 per cent of the votes.
In the 2019 election the party gained an extra 48 seats despite an increase of only 1.2pc of the vote share.
READ MORE: Editor’s comment: Hackney Council election result proves we need a fairer voting system
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With PR, the distribution of parliamentary seats corresponds with the proportion of total votes case for each party. If a party gains 40 per cent of the total votes, a proportional system would mean it gets 40pc of the seats.
Cross-party movement MVM boasts support from every opposition party in Great Britain - except for Labour.
Hackney Make Votes Matter supporters. - Credit: Hackney Make Votes Matter
It says that seven out of 10 votes cast by the UK population had no affect on the results of the 2019 General Election.
In response, a Cabinet Office spokesperson called the FTPT system "a cornerstone of UK democracy" and said it is "robust "and provides a clear, well-understood link between constituents and their representatives in parliament.
The government says it has no plans to change the voting system.
However, it will redraw constituency boundaries so that each contains a near equal number of eligible voters, to reflect changes in demographics.
Find out more at www.makevotesmatter.org.uk
