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First Past the Post Explained: How Seat Winners Work
In brief
First past the post is a plurality voting system where the candidate with the most votes in a district wins, even without a majority. The UK and Canada use versions of it for many parliamentary seats; national vote share can differ from seat share.
First past the post is a plurality voting system where the candidate with the most votes in a district wins, even without a majority. The UK and Canada use versions of it for many parliamentary seats; national vote share can differ from seat share.
Why can seat share diverge?
Geography and vote distribution matter as much as national percentages.
Related UK polls?
See uk-voting-intention-polls-latest — polls are not seat forecasts.
Canada?
See canada-federal-polls-latest-338.
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Last updated: 12 Oct 2026. Re-check linked official sources before citing figures.
Why it matters
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People also ask
Is it the same as ranked choice?
No.
US House?
Also district plurality in most cases.
Predictions?
No.
Sources
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