One, two, three, four: rank them on the ballot so

The British House of Commons today passed a measure that would ask British voters whether they wish to switch voting systems for future Parliamentary elections.

Currently elections to the House of Commons, as well as most county and town councils, use "first past the post", where the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of what percentage he or she received. This referendum measure would ask voters if they, starting with the election after next, wish to implement the alternate or "instant runoff" voting, where voters would rank candidates by preference rather than just vote for one. In that system, a candidate must have 50 percent of the vote to be named the winner. In the event no one has 50 percent, the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated, and next preference votes on the affected ballots are counted. This continues until a candidate has a majority of combined votes. This system is already in place notably in the election for mayor of greater London as well as several nations' presidential elections.

However, with elections to occur in the next four months, this measure must clear all remaining hurdles before the current Parliament is dissolved. With fierce opposition expected in the House of Lords, namely from entrenched traditionalists convinced that first past the post keeps extremist candidates out of office, it is very unlikely that this bill will make it to Her Majesty's desk for her Royal Assent before the next election. And should the Tories, the vast majority of whom voted against this measure today, claim the majority in the next poll, it is very likely that they will scrap the vote.

The Liberal Democrats failed in an effort to amend the proposal altogether, wanting an earlier referendum on their preferred system, the Single Transferable Vote. In this system, constituencies would need redone altogether to establish multi-seat (likely by county or unitary authority) constituencies. STV is currently in use across Northern Ireland and in Scotland's local elections.