First-past-the-post voting
![A ballot paper for a first-past-the-post voting system, with the voter required to mark only one candidate](/Images/godic/202502/18/Plurality_ballot.svg2655.png")
![Countries which use a first-past-the-post voting system](/Images/godic/202502/18/Countries_That_Use_a_First_Past_the_Post_Voting_System2655.png")
![A graph showing the difference between the popular vote (inner circle) and the number of seats won by major political parties (outer circle) at the United Kingdom general election, 2015](/Images/godic/202502/18/First-past-the-post_2015.svg2655.png")
![Dots represent voters; lines represent electoral districts. The diagram to the left represents a fair (ungerrymandered) election. The other diagram shows how gerrymandering can tilt the odds to favor one side.](/Images/godic/202502/18/Ĝerimandrado.svg2655.png")
A first-past-the-post (abbreviated FPTP, 1stP, 1PTP or FPP) or winner-takes-all voting system is one in which voters are required to indicate on the ballot paper the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives more votes than any other candidate wins. The first-past-the-post voting method is one of the several plurality voting systems. It is a common, but not universal, feature of voting systems with single member electoral divisions. The system is widely used in India, the Philippines, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and is used in many other countries.