TSR Alternative Vote Referendum: Choose how you vote!

This poll is closed

How will you vote?

Yes to AV 59%

No to AV 38%

Spoil Ballot3%

Total votes: 521

With the UK-wide referendum a week away, it's time to find out how TSRians want to vote in their elections; So what will you choose, the current "First Past the Post (FPTP)" system, or the "Alternative Vote (AV)" system?

Vote in the poll and let us know how you want to see your voting system, the poll is private so no-one knows how you voted, and the results will be hidden until the evening before the referendum, so you can choose how you want it, and not simply go with the minority/majority.

(edited 12 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Against personally

Would prefer STV.

Against. Although knowing how many lefties we have on TSR I expect AV to win this by a substantial majority.

Reply 4

Dahut

I want PR but since AV is all that is on offer, yes. It is a marginal improvement.

Reply 5

BillySharp92

against. I'd rather money be spent on health, education than on no real improvement that only allows the nutters, e.g. the BNP, SWP and the Monster Raving Loony Party (Aka the Lib Dems) more power than they actually get.

I don't think many people realise that AV offers no real change and if anything is less democratic as some people's votes get counted numerous times.
PR or no change please.

Reply 6

george..

Reasons to vote yes:

Nick Griffin wants us to vote no to AV.

that's all I can think of...

Reply 7

Azog 150

Yes. I ultimately want a PR system though. I have yet to see a decent argument as to why FPTP should be retained.

Reply 8

Cll_ws

Original post by BillySharp92

I don't think many people realise that AV offers no real change and if anything is less democratic as some people's votes get counted numerous times.

they wouldn't really be counted numerous times, as if a persons second choice vote was counted then it'd mean their 1st choice vote would no longer be counting towards anything, as for their 2nd choice to be counted it would have to mean their 1st choice was out of the running.

i can only really see it being an improvement really. the current system that allows a party into power despite the larger majority of the country not wanting them isn't great.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 9

Life_peer

If I were British, I would probably vote yes. It is a chance for the UKIP to gain more power.

Reply 10

oasis

No, only favours Liberals and other small (mostly extreme) parties.

And a huge waste of money. Democracy is dead in this country anyway.

Reply 11

Student28061

I'll be voting yes (surprisingly).

It is a fairer and better system than FPTP, delivering results that elect MPs that the voters in a constituency actually want, rather than MPs who win with as little as 30% of the vote.

Reply 12

littlehobbit

NO - how can someone thats ranked second by everyone win?! Ridiculous!

Reply 13

Student28061

Original post by littlehobbit

NO - how can someone thats ranked second by everyone win?! Ridiculous!

That wouldn't happen. If someone gets 50% of first preference votes, they win, no question. A candidate that only receives second preference from voters will not win, because they will be eliminated from the running.
Only if a candidate isn't popular enough to receive 50% of first preference votes will second preference votes come in to play.

Reply 14

littlehobbit

Original post by Wilzman

Yea I know that, but that's likely, isn't it, so second and third votes will probably come in to practise. The problem with AV is that people won't rank - which means there's no point in the system, and second votes could push someone in to winning! I've seen it in my college election for president - the person who was eventually elected Vice was winning the first seven rounds, then the second person overtook and became president and he was left at vice. No vote should work like that!