First Past the Post: Would It Work in Australia?

Every federal election brings renewed debate about Australia's voting system. Most Australians have grown up with preferential voting for the House of Representatives, yet many democracies—including the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada—still use some form of "first past the post" voting.

Would such a system work in Australia? And if it did, would it produce fairer governments?

Under a first past the post system, the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they receive less than 50 per cent of the vote. If five candidates contest an electorate and the winner receives 38 per cent of the vote, they are elected. There is no distribution of preferences.

Australia abandoned that approach for federal elections more than a century ago. Preferential voting was introduced in 1918 after conservative parties found themselves competing against each other, allowing Labor candidates to win seats despite not attracting majority support. The new system enabled like-minded parties to exchange preferences rather than split the vote.

That history remains relevant today.

Supporters of first past the post argue it is simple. Voters choose one candidate, counting is straightforward and the result is immediately understood. Preference negotiations disappear, and political parties cannot rely on preference deals to help them secure seats.

Critics, however, point out that simplicity comes at a cost.

Imagine an electorate where the vote is divided as follows:

• Candidate A: 37%
• Candidate B: 33%
• Candidate C: 20%
• Candidate D: 10%

Under first past the post, Candidate A wins despite 63 per cent of voters choosing someone else.

Australia's preferential system attempts to solve that problem by redistributing votes according to voters' subsequent preferences until one candidate receives majority support.

Would first past the post make elections fairer?

The answer depends on what Australians believe elections should achieve.

If the goal is to elect the candidate with the largest single block of support, first past the post performs that task efficiently.

If the goal is to ensure every elected member commands majority support after preferences are counted, Australia's existing system has a strong argument in its favour.

Another question concerns strategic voting.

Without preferences, voters may feel pressured to abandon their preferred minor party candidate in favour of a larger party simply to prevent another candidate from winning. Political parties may also adjust their campaign strategies to discourage competitors with similar policies from entering marginal seats, knowing that divided support could hand victory to an opponent.

Australia experienced precisely these concerns before preferential voting was introduced.

Would any Australian government seek to return to first past the post?

Politically, such reform appears unlikely.

Major changes to Australia's electoral system would attract intense parliamentary and public scrutiny. Any proposal would require broad political support, and parties benefiting from the current arrangements would have little incentive to advocate significant change.

Moreover, Australians have become accustomed to preferential voting. It allows voters to support smaller parties and independents without necessarily "wasting" their vote, while still expressing preferences between the major contenders.

The debate nevertheless remains worthwhile.

Electoral systems shape governments, political parties and public confidence in democracy. There is no perfect model. Every voting system involves trade-offs between simplicity, representation, stability and fairness.

As Australia's political landscape becomes increasingly fragmented, questions about how Australians choose their governments are likely to remain part of the national conversation.

Perhaps the most important question is not whether first past the post is better or worse, but what Australians expect their electoral system to achieve.