Your views on electoral reform probably depend on what you think is desirable in general elections -
Proportional Representation (PR) by gaining national support for a party, or
First Past the Post (FPTP) and your own directly elected MP - but you'll also probably believe that the Alternative Vote is not either of those things.
Well actually it's better than both ...
AV Keeps the Constituency Link
Under AV you will still have your own MP. They will still be representing you and your local area in parliament. You still have the power to get rid of them at the ballot box (and recall them under proposed legislation).
In fact, under AV it is much easier to boot out your MP if you don't like them without having to resort to tactical voting. Rather than voting
against a particular candidate, you can vote
for who you want to replace them. AV even gives you a better choice than PR, where either you're stuck with a system where the parties choose who they want to get elected first (called
Party List), or one where it could be really hard to get rid of an MP that you don't want because the threshold to get elected is perhaps only 1/6 of the total votes (likely under the
Single Transferable Vote system).
AV Promotes Positive Politics
In order for candidates to win under AV, they will have to gain the support of at least 50% of the electorate. They will in most cases have to rely on gaining the 2nd, 3rd and further preferences of those who voted for other candidates. That means that negative campaigning will only serve to hurt the chances of that candidate winning.
AV rewards politicians who can reach out to a widest range of voters. Prospective MPs will have to set out why they should be high up on your list of preferences, rather than why others should not. I've been involved in enough students' union elections (which already use AV) to know that divisive candidates might well get a fair number of first preferences - perhaps the most first preferences, and would've won using FPTP - but don't get elected because they don't get the transfer of votes from other candidates.
AV is the anti-extremist system because candidates have to secure a real majority to be sure of winning. FPTP and PR enable candidates to win with a very small percentage of the vote, which means extremist parties such as the British National Party have more chance of being elected despite most people in an area opposing them. This is one of the reasons why the BNP is opposing AV.
I happen to believe that AV isn't a compromise, but the best system for electing our MPs. It keeps the strengths of FPTP and eliminates the weaknesses. You'll still have your own MP, whist making it easier to get rid of them. It promotes positive politics and shuts out extremists.
Vote Yes to AV on 5 May! More information at the
Yes to Fairer Votes website.
JR
