Each voter can cast two votes - one for an individual candidate in the "first past the post" ballot and the second for a party in the "list" ballot.
The votes in the first ballot determine who sits for the constituency at Holyrood. The second ballot votes are combined across a region of nine constituencies and then used to allocate a further seven list seats so as to bring the representation of each party closer to the proportion of votes it received overall.
The best way to understand this is to see it in practice.
During the 2003-2007 Parliament, two Conservatives represent the region - Murdo Fraser and Ted Brocklebank (who takes a special interest in Dunfermline East).
The list system works by successively allocating seven list seats on top the nine first past the post (FPTP) seats. Each seat is allocated to the party that has the highest ratio of total votes to seats won so far (in reality the number of votes is divided by the number of seats plus one but we'll refer to the ratio as votes/seat). After an extra seat is assigned, the ratio of votes/seat for the party receiving it naturally reduces. The allocation process is then repeated until all seven seats have been handed out.
For simplicity, we'll confine ourselves to the parties that won seats in our region. These are the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats (LDs), the SNP and the Green Party. At each stage, the figure in yellow shows which party won the additional seat.
| Party | Cons | Lab | LDs | SNP | Greens |
| Total vote | 43,941 | 63,239 | 30,112 | 57,631 | 17,147 |
| FPTP seats | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Votes/seat (1) | 43,941 | 10,540 | 15,056 | 14,408 | 17,147 |
| Votes/seat (2) | 21,971 | 10,540 | 15,056 | 14,408 | 17,147 |
| Votes/seat (3) | 14,647 | 10,540 | 15,056 | 14,408 | 17,147 |
| Votes/seat (4) | 14,647 | 10,540 | 15,056 | 14,408 | 8,574 |
| Votes/seat (5) | 14,647 | 10,540 | 10,037 | 14,408 | 8,574 |
| Votes/seat (6) | 10,985 | 10,540 | 10,037 | 14,408 | 8,574 |
| Votes/seat (7) | 10,985 | 10,540 | 10,037 | 11,526 | 8,574 |
| Total Seats | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
It's interesting to contrast this with the corresponding figures for the 1999 election. Despite the lower turnout, our vote held up better than the votes of the other major parties. Further proof that the Scottish Conservatives are on the up.
| Party | Cons | Lab | LDs | SNP |
| Total vote | 56,719 | 101,964 | 38,896 | 87,659 |
| FPTP seats | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Votes/seat (1) | 56,719 | 14,566 | 19,448 | 29,220 |
| Votes/seat (2) | 28,360 | 14,566 | 19,448 | 29,220 |
| Votes/seat (3) | 28,360 | 14,566 | 19,448 | 21,915 |
| Votes/seat (4) | 18,906 | 14,566 | 19,448 | 21,915 |
| Votes/seat (5) | 18,906 | 14,566 | 19,448 | 17,532 |
| Votes/seat (6) | 18,906 | 14,566 | 12,965 | 17,532 |
| Votes/seat (7) | 14,180 | 14,566 | 12,965 | 17,532 |
| Total Seats | 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
