Poll results: Which Electoral Process do you prefer?

Voters
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  • First Past the Post

    1 50.00%
  • Alternative Vote

    1 50.00%
  • A different process entirely

    0 0%
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Thread: A Change in Election process

  1. #1
    Administrator CatInASuit's avatar
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    Default A Change in Election process

    On 5th May, the UK goes to the polls to determine if it wants to change the election process currently used to something different.

    The current process is First Past the Post (FPTP), the suggested amendment is to change the process to Alternative Vote (AV).

    FPTP is fairly simple, you have one vote, whoever gets the most votes in a constituency wins the election. Whichever party wins over 50% of the constituencies gets to form the next government.

    AV is more complicated. You have a list of candidates and you list them in order. If no one candidate gets 50% of the vote, the votes from the lowest placed candidate are transferred to the other candidates until one of the gets 50% of the vote and wins the constituency. Whichever party wins over 50% of the constituencies gets to form the next government.

    FPTP is simpler and provides a strong elected government, whereas AV is more likely to lead to coalition governments

    AV Forces the MP to appeal to a wider proportion of the voters, whereas FPTP can be elected by a minority of the voters.

    AV can allow you to choose multiple candidates, but FPTP is the archetypal one man, one vote.

    More on the campaign against AV here
    More on the campaign for the AV here

    So which method would you choose?
    In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.

  2. #2
    Porosity Caster parzival's avatar
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    I've always thought of AV or similar plans as the more fair and democratic option, especially in a parliamentary or similar representative system. (I say this especially as an American, wishing that we could have more than two parties at the federal election level). It gives voters an actual way to show their preference, instead of forcing them into picking the one they hate least.

    You sort of alluded to a concern I hadn't thought of - that it might lead to more centrist candidates who try to appeal to everyone. Although if the region is small enough, I don't see it as much of a problem. Some would say it's not much of a problem to begin with, since they'd rather not want MPs that only a vocal minority desire in power.

    The opposition has this line on their website:
    The Alternative Vote is a complicated, expensive and unfair system that gives some people more votes than others.
    Which seems they're appealing to the old "it's confusing!" argument, which really bothers me. How hard is it to simply rank candidates by order of preference, and know that there's a good chance that the winning candidate will be someone most people approve of?

  3. #3
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Do you want coalition governments over and over again, with all of the horsetrading and backroom dealing that will go with that? Not me. I'm not a Brit, but I were, I'd vote to keep the current system, for all its faults.

  4. #4
    Administrator CatInASuit's avatar
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    Surprisingly enough from a few studies done, the majority of people who have the most first round votes tend to be those elected anyway.

    AV does give more weight to some votes than others. If you vote for someone who is knocked out early, your vote will be counted again. If you vote for someone with a lot of first round votes, your vote may only be counted once.

    Amusingly enough, both leaders of the main parties were elected by AV and neither came first in the first round of voting.

    It is useful for some situation, but I don't believe that electing a government is one of them. It will lead to more coalitions only because of the way that British politics and the parties work. It is unlikely it would lead to more of the same if used elsewhere.

    OTOH, here is the best of the adverts by either campaign so far. The return of the New Statesman: Alan B'Stard.

    In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.

  5. #5
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Funny. What's a "stitch-up meeting"?

  6. #6
    Administrator CatInASuit's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Elendil's Heir View post
    Funny. What's a "stitch-up meeting"?
    In this instance, where the newly elected government get together and stitch-up (cheat) the country.
    In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.

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