The truth about AV
There is so much mud-slinging and misinformation being thrown around about AV, it is really sickening. So, I thought I would do a post that was about the genuine pro's and con's of the electoral systems on offer at the May 5th referendum.
I admit that I am planning to vote yes to AV, but I am trying not to be biased here. I am also not going to discuss any other electoral systems (e.g. PR), as they are not being voted on in this referendum.
AV
+ vastly reduces tactical voting
+ works with multi-party ballots (and can still work for two-party ballots)
+ need a majority of (non-exhausted) votes to win
[EDIT - debunked, see below] can take longer to count, especially in marginal constituencies (may not get some results for a few days)
? can lead to more hung parliaments (I'm not sure that this is a con if it representative of the population's views - isn't that more democratic?)
FPTP
[EDIT] + faster to count (get all the results on the night)
- similar candidates split the vote, leading to tactical voting being very prominent
- less than third of MPs in the 2010 UK election had 50% of the votes (data from here:http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/may/07/uk-election-results-data-candidates-seats#data
? less likely to result in hung parlianments (not sure this is a pro, isn't it less democratic)
Please add more points and corrections in the comments!!!
Also, here are some common claims from these campaigns that are wrong:
Did AV lead to compulsory voting in Australia due to reduced turnout? No
Antony Green has a really good post about this here: http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2011/03/no-link-between-alternative-vote-and-compulsory-voting-in-australia.html
Will electronic vote counting machines be needed under AV? No
Australia doesn't need them, so why would the UK? (http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2011/03/does-australia-use-counting-machines-to-count-the-alternative-vote.html)
AV is too complex
I find this one really insulting. Ok, the explanantion takes a paragraph, not a sound bite, but it really isn't that complicated! I like this: http://www2.b3ta.com/host/creative/67427/1302893882/AV.jpg
AV is why Australia doesn't get results on the night of the election
Thanks to puzzlingspiv for this link: http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2011/04/a-summary-of-the-misrepresentations-of-australias-voting-system.html
If you have any others, please comment and I will add them!
I admit that I am planning to vote yes to AV, but I am trying not to be biased here. I am also not going to discuss any other electoral systems (e.g. PR), as they are not being voted on in this referendum.
AV
+ vastly reduces tactical voting
+ works with multi-party ballots (and can still work for two-party ballots)
+ need a majority of (non-exhausted) votes to win
[EDIT - debunked, see below] can take longer to count, especially in marginal constituencies (may not get some results for a few days)
? can lead to more hung parliaments (I'm not sure that this is a con if it representative of the population's views - isn't that more democratic?)
FPTP
[EDIT] + faster to count (get all the results on the night)
- similar candidates split the vote, leading to tactical voting being very prominent
- less than third of MPs in the 2010 UK election had 50% of the votes (data from here:http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/may/07/uk-election-results-data-candidates-seats#data
? less likely to result in hung parlianments (not sure this is a pro, isn't it less democratic)
Please add more points and corrections in the comments!!!
Also, here are some common claims from these campaigns that are wrong:
Did AV lead to compulsory voting in Australia due to reduced turnout? No
Antony Green has a really good post about this here: http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2011/03/no-link-between-alternative-vote-and-compulsory-voting-in-australia.html
Will electronic vote counting machines be needed under AV? No
Australia doesn't need them, so why would the UK? (http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2011/03/does-australia-use-counting-machines-to-count-the-alternative-vote.html)
AV is too complex
I find this one really insulting. Ok, the explanantion takes a paragraph, not a sound bite, but it really isn't that complicated! I like this: http://www2.b3ta.com/host/creative/67427/1302893882/AV.jpg
AV is why Australia doesn't get results on the night of the election
Thanks to puzzlingspiv for this link: http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2011/04/a-summary-of-the-misrepresentations-of-australias-voting-system.html
If you have any others, please comment and I will add them!