The AV referendum explained

May 5th is the day where voters are asked if they

want to change the voting system. If you (like me) are confused by what exactly

Alternative Voting is and how it is different to the current system then this

should be of some help to you.

The main difference between the two voting systems is that

AV allows voters to place candidates in order of preference rather than simply

putting an ‘X’ next to your vote. AV consists of voters placing candidates in

numerical order with ‘1’ being first choice, followed by ‘2’ for second choice

and so on.

That much is pretty clear but I am still left wandering what

that actually means! So I have done some research and here is the nitty gritty

of the implications of voting in numerical order: AV only comes into effect

when no candidate receives 50% of the vote. In this instance, the last place

candidate is then eliminated and for those who voted for them, their second

placed candidate will then become their first placed candidate. This process is

then repeated until any one candidate receives a 50% majority at which point,

that candidate is declared victorious.

As far as a bit of background on why this vote is taking

place in the first place: the main reason for the referendum is due to the

results of the General Election 2010 where no Party gained clear majority and

the Government’s future was left uncertain.

On the whole, Conservatives are against the AV system and

the Foreign Secretary William Hague fronts the Conservative ‘No to AV’

campaign. The Liberal Democrats however, see AV as a good step to their desired

Proportional Representation and it is believed that AV would give the Lib Dems

more MPs as while the party is presently not often the first choice for voters,

it is a popular second choice. The referendum on electoral reform was also a

condition for the Lib Dems agreeing to form a coalition with the Conservatives.

Like the Lib Dems, Labour are generally in favour of the change to AV and the

party’s leader Ed Miliband is in favour himself but it remains true that the

party’s MPs are divided on support for AV referendum.

Hopefully this helps you understand the referendum somewhat!

Let us know what your thoughts are and feel free to post comments on whether

you will be voting pro or anti AV and why.

Photo thanks to Beth Granter on Flickr