I TEAGUE ( Is my vote secret ? Friday May 29 ) need not get too worried about ballot integrity. The polling officer checks his number against his ballot paper simply to ensure that he can’t vote again ! The real issue is a politically illiterate First Past the Post electoral system which condemns many voters to a wasted vote in ‘safe seats’ (there should be no such thing as ‘safe seats’ for any political party !) and ensures that the government of the day is elected on the back of mere thousands of swing voters in the marginal seats.

This Tory government with its clear parliamentary majority was elected with a 36% share of the national vote. UKIP returned just one MP with four million votes and the Greens just one MP with one million. In other words we have 650 ‘local’ elections rather than a proportionate national vote and a representative parliament. In stark contrast Stormount, the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament are all elected with proportional systems.

The AV Referendum in 2011 was a Coalition sop to Nick Clegg with an only marginally better system, a woefully weak national campaign, a disinterested electorate that hadn’t forgiven Nick Clegg for his betrayal on tuition fees and compounded by a hostile right wing press that have never wanted any change to First Past the Post. As then chair of Fair Votes For Dorset I was alarmed at how few people voted anyway – clearly not aware of how voting has a direct effect on every policy area... the economy, the NHS, the environment, public services, overseas aid,global strategy and schools.

The Single Transferable voting system (rather like filling in the football pools,) allows voters the much wider options of voting for a political party, or cross party and for particular candidates who might for example be strong on alternative energy sources and global warming.

It’s very clear that for the next five years under the Tories, changing how we vote in Westminster elections won’t be on the agenda. Consequently, we are lumbered with an electoral system which is little better than ‘the rotten boroughs’ of the early 19 th century. However, the time is right to build a cross party constitutional movement /convention to lay the ground for change when the Tories are finally defeated in the ballot box. That day cannot come soon enough for reformers.

Richard Denton-White

Fortuneswell

Portland