UK general elections use the "first-past-the-post" voting system. Each of the 650 constituencies elects one MP. Voters mark a single X for one candidate; the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they do not have an absolute majority. The system tends to produce a clear winner and a single-party government but can also produce results where a party's share of seats differs sharply from its share of votes.
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Other voting systems are used in some UK elections: the additional member system in the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and the London Assembly; the single transferable vote in Northern Ireland; and the supplementary vote (until 2022) for some elected mayors. Local elections in England and Wales use first-past-the-post.
You may be asked what voting system is used in UK general elections, or what kind of system the additional member system is (a hybrid mixing constituency and proportional seats).
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