Editing Additional-member system (section)

=== Decoy lists ===
So-called "[[decoy list]]s" are a trick to unhinge the compensation mechanisms contained into the proportional part of the AMS, so to ''de facto'' establish a [[parallel voting]] system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Society |first=The Constitution |date=2021-04-21 |title=A gameable electoral system? The Additional Member System in Scotland |url=https://consoc.org.uk/a-gameable-electoral-system-the-additional-member-system-in-scotland/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=The Constitution Society |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Although a theoretical possibility,<ref name=":0" /> decoy lists are not used in Scotland, Wales, or other places using AMS in the UK, where most voters vote for candidates from parties with long-standing names. In the run up to the 2007 Scottish election, the Labour party had considered not fielding list candidates in the [[Glasgow (Scottish Parliament electoral region)|Glasgow]], [[West of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)|West of Scotland]], and [[Central Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)|Central Scotland]] regions,{{citation needed|date=July 2013}} as their constituency strength in the previous two elections had resulted in no list MSPs; instead they proposed to support a list composed of [[Co-operative Party]] candidates.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}} Before this the Co-operative party had chosen not to field candidates of its own but merely to endorse particular Labour candidates. However the [[Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)|Electoral Commission]] ruled that as membership of the Co-operative party is dependent on membership of the Labour party they could not be considered distinct legal entities.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

In contrast, in the [[2007 National Assembly for Wales election|2007 Welsh Assembly election]], [[Forward Wales]] had its candidates (including sitting leader [[John Marek (politician)|John Marek]]) stand as independents, to attempt to gain list seats they would not be entitled to if Forward Wales candidates were elected to constituencies in the given region. However the ruse failed: Marek lost his seat in [[Wrexham (National Assembly for Wales constituency)|Wrexham]] and Forward Wales failed to qualify for any top-up seats.

In the [[2021 Scottish Parliament election]], former SNP leader, [[Alex Salmond]] announced his leadership of the newly formed [[Alba Party]], with the stated aim of winning list seats for pro-independence candidates. At the party's public launch, Salmond quoted polling suggesting the SNP would receive a million votes in the forthcoming election but win no regional seats. He said that having Alba candidates on the regional lists would end the "wasted votes", and the number of independence supporting MSPs could reach 90 or more.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-03-26|title=Alex Salmond to lead new Alba Party into Scottish Parliament election|language=en-GB|work=The National|url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/19190356.alex-salmond-lead-new-alba-party-scottish-parliament-election/|access-date=2021-03-26}}</ref>