Voting in Elections

First Past the Post

Before 1918, representatives to the federal Parliament were elected on a ‘simple majority’ or ‘first-past-the-post’ basis. This meant that the candidate who had the most votes after one count was elected - even if they did not have more than half of the votes. This system is still used in many countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, and Papua New Guinea.
For first-past-the-post, even though only 6 people out of 16 voted for Margherita, it still won as the others lost. With preferential voting, we get a better idea of what the people actually want.
Advantages of first-past-the-post are that it’s simple and efficient, it excludes extremist parties, however, its disadvantages are that it does not reflect the interests of the whole of the voters.

Voting Method	Description	Example
First Past the Post	People vote for the person they wish to elect by placing the number 1 next to their name on the ballot paper. The person with the most amount of votes wins.	American Elections
Preferential Voting	The voters decide not only the candidate they would like to win but also the order in which they would prefer the other candidates. If their first choice doesn’t win, the votes are redistributed.	Australian Elections
Optional Preferential / Proportional	When you vote for a senator, you will be given a white ballot paper. You can vote in two ways:If you vote above the line, you need to number at least six boxes from 1 to 6 in your order of preference.If you vote below the line, you need to number at least 12 boxes from 1 to 12 in your order of preference.To win a seat, senators have to win a set proportion, or quota, of the votes. This is why the Senate voting system is called optional preferential proportional representation, often referred to as simply proportional representation.	Senator Votes