The Alternative Vote

[marksi]

At the last General Election it took:

21,027 votes to elect a Democratic Unionist MP;
33,250 votes to elect a Labour MP;
34,949 votes to elect a Conservative MP;
37,659 votes to elect a Sinn Fein MP;
42,325 votes to elect an Alliance MP;
55,131 votes to elect a Social Democratic & Labour MP;
80,470 votes to elect a Scottish National MP;
119,788 votes to elect a Liberal Democrat MP and
268,024 votes to elect a Green MP

[DVB Cornwall]

Irrelevant statistics as far as I'm concerned there were 650 individual contests, the result in each of those seats counts. Aggregating the vote is a statistical nicety only.

[lukey]

The problem of considering it 'immorally wrong for anyone other than the winner of the poll to be elected' is that electoral boundaries are arbitrary, despite the methodology employed. The distribution of votes, and the winner of each individual contest is a function of that boundary as much as the system itself. To put complete faith in the 'right' winner of each seat being returned, is to put absolute faith in the composition of that seat. I would love to be able to agree that it's as simple as the winner is the winner, but I think elections need a second layer of checks on the votes cast within a constituency - which AV provides, to an extent. Proper PR would go further.

[Lorns]

See this place is giving me more of an educated decision towards which way to vote. I have so missed you metropol the local elections also take place on the same day as the AV referendum round my neck of the woods.

[Chie]

917,832 UKIP voters are not represented in the house of commons at all.

I am voting no to AV. If the electoral system must be reformed then I would like proportional representation, with the party receiving the most votes governing the country. Despite what many people appear to believe*, AV would not be a stepping stone towards proportional representation. If the country votes for AV, we'll be stuck with AV. Vote no, and we're more likely to be given a referendum on proportional representation in the near future.

* It's worth bearing in mind that many AV proponents are the same silly billies who were convinced to the very marrow of their bones that the Lib Dems were going to coalesce with Labour in the event of a hung parliament.

[Pete]

FPTP gets the most liked rather than the AV less disliked candidate elected which to me is far more satisfactory.

How about all those protest vote seats where you have to vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out even though you're a Labour voter? Surely that is the "less disliked" candidate in action under FPTP?

[dosxuk]

Vote no, and we're more likely to be given a referendum on proportional representation in the near future.

Vote No and our leaders will proclaim "we asked you if you wanted electoral reform and you said no, so you're obviously happy with the current situation".

Westminster will not offer PR (or even discuss the possibility of it) while Labour / Tories are in power as it has the potential to decimate their standings. I don't see there being any possibility of them not having a clear majority without AV giving the smaller parties a chance to represent their voters.

[DVB Cornwall]

FPTP gets the most liked rather than the AV less disliked candidate elected which to me is far more satisfactory.

How about all those protest vote seats where you have to vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out even though you're a Labour voter? Surely that is the "less disliked" candidate in action under FPTP?

That's ok as a definative selection has been made by the elector and their First Preference changed as a result, nothing against that. What I object to is the candidate who 'wins' the seat being 'overtaken' by a candidate with lesser first preferences. That to me is wholly wrong in an election for a single seat.

[marksi]

See this place is giving me more of an educated decision towards which way to vote. I have so missed you metropol the local elections also take place on the same day as the AV referendum round my neck of the woods.

Excellent. It's obvious what my opinion is - yes to AV - not because I think it's great, but because it is slightly better than what we have now, and a no vote will result in no progress to any form of PR for at least a generation.

But how you vote Lorns, is entirely up to you. The important thing is that you have a think about the issues and decide for yourself what YOU think is best... and that you vote one way or the other rather than not at all.

[Chie]

Vote no, and we're more likely to be given a referendum on proportional representation in the near future.

Vote No and our leaders will proclaim "we asked you if you wanted electoral reform and you said no, so you're obviously happy with the current situation".

The question isn't "are you in favour of electoral reform?" it is "would you like AV?"

[marksi]

Vote no, and we're more likely to be given a referendum on proportional representation in the near future.

Vote No and our leaders will proclaim "we asked you if you wanted electoral reform and you said no, so you're obviously happy with the current situation".

The question isn't "are you in favour of electoral reform?" it is "would you like AV?"

Under what circumstances, presuming a "no" vote, do you believe the question of electoral reform would be asked again?

It won't be for at least 20 years.

Vote yes and even if it is decided in 10 years that it needs replacing, I suspect that first-past-the-post won't ever be an option again.