Letter: Mongolia’s PR system for elections is better than our first-past-post one in the UK
A letter from Peter Emerson of the de Borda Institute:
A week before our UK general election, the relatively young democracy of Mongolia has theirs.
They use a part PR parallel system which is rather better than the UK’s first-past-the-post (FPTP); and secondly, the electoral law in Mongolia and most European countries forbids political campaigning on polling day. But we have gauntlets at polling station entrances; dummy ballot papers in the polling booths; and voters often treated like ballot fodder. Sadly, the UK's relatively geriatric democracy appears to be incapable of reform.
With Tories, Labour, Lib-Dems, Greens and Reform, a candidate in England could get elected on only 21% of the vote! Even Russia’s half-PR + half FPTP would be better (but Russian state interference is horrible).
Most European countries do not allow political campaigning on polling day. Thus, in the recent French elections, the polling station I observed was très calme. In ours in contrast, it's often mayhem: a new voter greets his neighbour; when she gets her ballot, the official shouts out her electoral register number for the party agent; (this would never be allowed in an OSCE*-run election).
So the noise levels can get quite high: “Ach, whaddaboutyer?” “3-2-7-1,” “Fine dear, and the kids?” “Say that again,” “3-2-7-1,” “Doing grand,” “OK, 3-2-7-9, thanks.” “Wee Johnny’s now 8,” “No, not 9, 1; 3-2-7-1!” and so it goes on: mayhem.
Party agents should not be allowed to know the identity of the voter, and now that voters are required to have a photo ID, impersonation is no longer a major problem. We would not want Vladimir Putin to know whether or not Ivan Ivanovich (a Russian Joe Bloggs) has voted; in like manner, NI electoral officials should not be disclosing voters’ names to party agents.
Let us hope that, if the law cannot be changed in time for July 4th, that at least a voluntary code may be introduced… as first suggested over 20 years ago.
Peter Emerson, Director, the de Borda Institute, Belfast BT14