Government’s Elections Bill achieves Royal Assent
Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Marc Jones said:
“The APCC welcomes the Elections Act, which means that future elections for PCCs, PFCCs and Mayors will be moved to the First Past the Post System. This is better understood by the public than the Supplementary Voting System and will make it easier for voters to express a clear choice at the ballot box.
“Whilst we have seen big increases in turnout for PCC elections, we know there has been confusion amongst the public who are having to use multiple voting systems. This is demonstrated by the higher percentage of rejected ballots at PCC elections in comparison to other elections using First Past the Post.
“We also know that the public support First Past the Post, as was backed overwhelmingly in the referendum on electoral reform in 2011, so adopting this voting system means that the outcomes of elections will always accurately reflect the views and preferences of voters, in turn strengthening the accountability of PCCs to the public.”