Losing candidates in the Epsom West by-election have called for electoral reform after an incredibly tight county council election saw the Conservatives win by just 21 votes.
From Friday: Conservative Karan Persand wins Surrey County Council by-election for Epsom West
From October: County councillor dramatically quits over inability to 'fit in with Epsom and Ewell Lib Dems'
Winning candidate Conservative Karan Persand picked up 23.5 per cent of the vote from a turnout of just 24.7 per cent, meaning one in 20 of the 10,500-strong electorate voted for him, which means he will go to County Hall as the newest of the Conservatives’ 59 councillors.
Conservative - Karan Persand - 612
Residents' Association - Neil Dallen - 591
Liberal Democrats - Julie Morris - 588
Labour - Kate Chinn - 578
United Kingdom Independence Party - Robert Leach - 168
Green - Chris Cook - 58
Front: MP Chris Grayling congratulates Karan Persand on his victory on Friday
Liberal Democrat Julie Morris, who finished 24 votes behind Mr Persand to be placed third in the Epsom West by-election on Friday, said the result ‘called democracy into question’.
She got 588 votes, with Councillor Neil Dallen getting 591 votes to place him in second.
In a system of single transferrable vote, the electorate is asked to rank candidates in order of preference, with the candidate with fewest votes eliminated in each round.
Their votes are transferred to other candidates, and a winner is declared when he/she passes a certain threshold, usually 50 per cent.
The Residents’ Association’s Coun Dallen echoed the need for reform, although he said it had ‘nothing to do with this result’.
Coun Dallen said: "There are all sorts of issues with first past the post system, although I wouldn’t blame this result on that.
"But I’ve been working to getting a different system for a while now, even though I won a borough council seat with it."
The Labour party contingent look over the result
Mrs Morris said: "This cannot be right - it’s all a bit of a farce.
"How can we now have a county councillor who so many people didn’t want, who so few people voted for?
"We need to have some kind of reform.
"Or even a system where voting is compulsory, or that the ballot is invalidated if turnout is less than 50 per cent, say, because this turnout was very low and it was very low in 2013, too."
The Electoral Reform Society said results like this one were ‘sadly all too common under our broken winner takes all voting system’.
Will Brett, head of campaigns, said: "That someone can win on less than 24 per cent of the vote starkly highlights the need for a proportional voting system where every vote counts.
"Nearly 2,000 people will have their votes completely ignored.
"A fairer system would allow those other voices to be heard, rather than throwing their ballots on the scrapheap."
Votes are counted in Epsom and Ewell Borough council chambers
However the Conservatives hit back at Mrs Morris, saying she was in danger of ‘looking like a bit of a sore loser’.
Sean Sullivan, who worked on Mr Persand’s campaign, said: "She might be seen as a hypocrite here.
"In 2011 she won a borough seat on 36 per cent of the vote, and last time the Lib Dems won Epsom West on less than 30.
"The fact is that the people of Epsom and Ewell voted on electoral reform in 2011, and 70 per cent of people rejected it, so the people have spoken.
"Karan won the most votes to see who will represent all of the people of Epsom West, and he will work hard to do so."
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