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Direct Party and Representative Voting (DPR)

DPR Voting - simple, practical electoral reform

Direct Party and Representative Voting is an electoral system for reform of the House of Commons in the UK.

A PR alternative to replace 'First past the post' (FPTP) voting.

A form of Proportional Representation based on single member constituencies.

DPR Voting - Introduction Direct Party and Representative Voting (DPR Voting) is an electoral system specifically intended to introduce a form of proportional representation to elections for the House of Commons in the UK while requiring the least change to the familiar First Past the Post (FPTP) system. It is a form of proportional representation where the number of votes that the MPs of each party can exercise is proportional to the number of votes each party wins in the election. All the MPs are elected in single member constituencies. The total number of MPs, and constituency boundaries, need not change. DPR Voting can be seen either as an extension of FPTP, or as a modified form of MMP (AMS), or perhaps a cross between the two systems. In Brief There is nothing complicated about voting in a DPR Voting election. Voters cast two votes – one for the political party of their choice - the 'Party' vote, and the other to elect their constituency MP - the 'Representative' vote. Each vote is a single choice - the voter marks their choice with a single X. The 'Party' votes are aggregated nationwide, and this determines proportionately the number of votes each parliamentary party has in the parliament and therefore which party, or parties, can form the Government. The Representative vote elects an individual in each constituency. The candidate who gets the most Representative votes is elected as the constituency MP. The voting (and counting) in DPR Voting is as simple as FPTP. It's different because each voter has one vote for the party to form the Government, and another vote for the candidate to be the local MP. Although this is different, it is more straightforward for those who know which party they support, and gives more options for those for which the relative merits of the candidates is important. The system requires some changes to the way parliament operates. For the purpose of votes (divisions) in parliament, each party's parliamentary votes are shared out equally amongst its MPs. As a result, each MP's share of the party vote will have a value which may be more or less than one, and could be expressed as a fraction or decimal. On ‘non party political’ issues, each MP has an equal vote. For more on this see Parliamentary Divisions, the dual mandate, and the basis for decimal voting.

Principal outcomes:
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	• A form of proportional representation is achieved with minimal change to the voting system.
	• The existing system of single member constituencies is retained.
	• The existing system of electing MPs is retained. All MPs are directly elected constituency MPs.
	• Each ('Party') vote in every constituency makes a difference to the result of the election.
	• The votes each party has in parliament are proportional to the votes won in the election.
	• This determines which party, or parties, can form the government
	• Simplicity of voting and counting is comparable with FPTP.
	• The election is not decided by the voting in 'marginal' constituencies.
	• The system does not encourage numerous small parties.
	• The system is resistant to gerrymandering
		- Frequent revision to constituency boundaries is not necessary.
	• Separating the vote for the MP from the vote for the party means there are no safe 'party' seats:
		- It encourages independent and independent minded candidates - The MP becomes more responsive to his/her constituents but less dependent on the Party.
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Note:		Voting is not preferential - Multimember constituencies are not used - Party Lists are not used
.. Direct Party and Representative Voting (pdf file) A full description (word doc) A full description
Comment: DPR Voting is a way of introducing proportionality to the UK multi party parliamentary democracy while retaining much of the existing familiar electoral system. It addresses some aspects of FPTP widely perceived as disadvantages, and avoids aspects of other proposed systems of electoral reform which attract the most criticism. It achieves this by changing the way parliament conducts votes (divisions). DPR Voting results in a parliament of directly elected constituency representatives. Each MP who is elected is the local choice, elected on individual merit. Unchanged constituency boundaries would offer political continuity locally. MPs previously elected under FPTP would not be forced to find a new constituency. Keeping much of the existing electoral system would make the administrative process of changing over to the new system easier. The cost of introducing the new system would be relatively low. It would be straightforward to reverse the change.
Why has electoral reform failed so far? People have campaigned against FPTP for the House of Commons for many years without success. This is not because of the lack of advantages of STV or MMP when compared to FPTP, but because of their disadvantages.
What makes DPR Voting different and better?
	1	Simplicity. A form of Proportional Representation but with all MPs elected in single member constituencies, with simple voting, and simple and quick counting.
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	2	In DPR Voting, every 'party' vote makes a difference to the election result.
	3	As a replacement for FPTP, DPR Voting offers fewer disadvantages than any other system.
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Compare DPR Voting with:
FPTP, First Past the Post (also known as SMP, Single Member Plurality)
MMP, Mixed Member Proportional system, (also known as AMS, the Additional Member system)
STV (Single Transferable Vote)
DPR Voting - the electoral system to replace FPTP The introduction of DPR Voting would involve only the smallest change to the current UK electoral system. It would preserve the relationship between MPs and their constituents on the basis of a method of constituency election which is familiar. DPR Voting would achieve greater equality for the voter, greater voter choice, and a form of proportional representation at minimum cost and with minimum disruption. It could be simply and powerfully presented to the electorate as a fairer electoral system for Westminster.
from Arend Lijphart, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of California, San Diego. Thank you for bringing the DPR Voting system to my attention.  I had not heard of it before. I agree with you that it represents a big improvement compared with the current FPTP system in the UK, because it is basically a PR instead of a majoritarian system.  My own preference is for straightforward list PR, but the practical advantage of DPR Voting may be that it may be more acceptable to the British public. Good luck with your proposal! Arend
Upheaval for administrators? The introduction of DPR Voting to replace the existing FPTP system for election to the House of Commons would require less upheaval than the change to any other PR system. This is because no changes are necessary to the number of MPs, the number of constituencies, or the constituency boundaries. The process of voting and counting is very similar and simple.

If you would like to comment about DPR Voting, please email the editor.

see also DPR in practice
see also Constituency boundaries and fair elections
see also MPs and decimal vote values rather than ‘One MP one Vote'
see also Small Party representation

The special case of the convention concerning the Election of the Speaker It is the convention that the Speaker is returned unopposed. Under FPTP this means the Speaker's constituents are disenfranchised. (Under DPR Voting the electorate still gets the chance to vote in the Speaker's constituency)