ACE

Encyclopaedia   Electoral Systems   The Systems and Their Consequences   Plurality/Majority Systems   First Past The Post (FPTP)  
First Past The Post (FPTP)

The First Past The Post system is the simplest form of plurality/majority system, using single member districts and candidate-centred voting. The voter is presented with the names of the nominated candidates and votes by choosing one, and only one, of them. The winning candidate is simply the person who wins the most votes; in theory he or she could be elected with two votes, if every other candidate only secured a single vote.

Along with the UK, the cases most often analysed are Canada, India, and the United States. 

 

Indian FPTP ballot paper