To AV Or Not To AV
I probably won’t be voting in the AV referendum. Or I might spoil my paper by writing 1 in one and 2 in the other!
As quite a few papers have shown, there would have been little difference if we’d have AV for the last couple of elections. And anyway according to some of my Australian friends, there is a tendency for people to give the first candidate your first preference, the second your second and so on. So you are more likely to elect Charles Aab than Samantha Zyzzx!
There has been some well-written stories in the papers too. I like this one, which quotes Anthony Eden extensively.
At the Angel this morning, both pro- and anti-AV supporters were handing out leaflets.
To my surprise and I suspect to many politicians, when I got on the bus to go home, about half the people on the Dalston Omnibus were avidly reading the leaflets they had been given.
So does this mean that people actually take more interest in elections, than the turnout suggests?
The Anonymous Widower 
Some considerable number of years ago I did research project into the various electoral systems within Europe. My conclusion was that with first past the post it is possible to have a party in government who have polled less than 40% of the vote, and dont have a majority in parliament – look at the Heath government in 78.
Some of the PR schemes are ridiculous – Italy was farcical, you would get far right and far left parties forming electoral coalitions.
But some of them work well and produce stable government. Often they are coalitions, but there isnt anything wrong with that if it is done sensibly between parties who are not diametrically opposed to each other.
AV isnt PR. BUT having grumbled about First Past The Post for so many years, I will be voting for it. Although I do think things have been rather rushed to get ready for the referndum so quickly, although the MPs involved are very competent, I know some of them.
Comment by liz | April 23, 2011 |
Would be interested to see how the clerical control would operate in AV.
The examination and recording of the votes and different permutations….leaves it open to error….and that surely hasnt been explained.
Not happy with it…in paper format.
Electronic counting and analsis…maybe…is only a step away…
Apricot
Comment by Apricot | April 24, 2011 |
From what I remember from the research, speed counting isnt the issue it is currently. There is a lot of checking. And of course, several counts; counting all the first choices, then if no outright winner, discounting the lowest scoring candidate and then recounting votes for second choices etc. But it was a long time ago.
Comment by liz | April 24, 2011 |