[Verse 1]
Westminster district, one seat up for grabs,
Highest vote total hauls in all the tabs,
Forty percent can win if the field splits five ways,
Winner takes the borough, every loser's vote decays,
Cross the pond in Congress, same old district game,
Plurality's the ticket, simple is the name.
[Chorus]
First past the post, one race, one crown,
Proportional spreads the seats all around town,
Remember the mantra: winner takes one,
Percentage takes many, divide till it's done,
First past the post, proportional spread,
Sing the system, keep it in your head.
[Verse 2]
Now sail to The Hague, where the ballots are lists,
Fifteen percent of the vote, fifteen percent exists,
Israel's Knesset, a hundred twenty chairs,
Carved up like a pizza by whoever shares,
No district drawing, no single champion crowned,
Every sliver of support still makes a sound.
[Verse 3]
Germany's clever, it plays a double hand,
One vote for your local, one for the party band,
Compensatory seats to balance out the floor,
But five percent's the gatekeeper, knock or leave the door,
Miss that line, your party vanishes from the chart,
Threshold keeps the fringe groups sitting far apart.
[Chorus]
First past the post, one race, one crown,
Proportional spreads the seats all around town,
Remember the mantra: winner takes one,
Percentage takes many, divide till it's done,
First past the post, proportional spread,
Sing the system, keep it in your head.
[Verse 4]
Duverger watched the numbers, found a law that sticks,
Plurality's a funnel, squeezing down to two bricks,
Vote for a third one, it feels like tossing sand,
So the system settles into red versus blue band,
But give it proportion, every voice finds a seat,
Watch the party spectrum multiply and compete.
[Bridge]
Lijphart drew the map in ninety-nine,
Thirty-six countries strung along one line,
Majoritarian's a boxing ring, one winner takes the belt,
Consensus is a round table where every bloc is felt,
Westminster sharpness or a coalition's slow embrace,
Patterns of Democracy, charting every place.
[Verse 5]
Ireland loves the single transferable vote,
Rank them all in order, watch the quota float,
Surplus ballots travel on to second choice delight,
Nobody's vote is wasted, every preference takes flight,
Tasmania and Malta run the same cool scheme,
Multi-member districts fulfilling the dream,
Meanwhile Australia's House runs instant runoff pure,
Alternative vote single-seat, majorities secure.
[Outro]
Now ranked-choice rises, number your top five,
Instant runoff keeps the real majority alive,
The debate's still open, reform is never done,
Which system best reflects the will of everyone?
First past the post, proportional spread,
Carry the chorus around in your head.