13 January 2011 Last updated at 11:31Q&A: Alternative Vote referendum
The government is hoping to hold a referendum in May on whether to change the system for electing MPs. Here is a guide to the issue. What will the proposed referendum be about?Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
It will ask the public whether they want to replace the existing first-past-the-post system for electing MPs to Westminster with a method known as the Alternative Vote.
What is the current voting system?For Westminster elections, it's first-past-the-post. The candidate who gets the most votes in their constituency is elected as the MP. If one party gets an overall majority in Parliament - more MPs than all the other parties put together - they form the government. If no party gets an overall majority it is called a hung parliament. In this situation, as happened after May's election, two or more parties would be expected to work together to form a government.
Why do critics want it changed?They see it as unfair, saying first-past-the-post discriminates against smaller parties. Despite getting 23% of the vote in the election, the Lib Dems only won 9% of seats. Reformers say too many votes are effectively wasted in seats where one party has a large majority. They say this depresses turnout and makes voters feel less engaged with the system. Results, they say, increasingly hinge on the preferences of a small number of voters in a handful of constituencies where no single party has a large majority.
How is Alternative Vote different?The Alternative Vote - widely referred to as AV - system sees voters rank candidates in order of preference. Anyone getting more than 50% of votes in the first round in a constituency is elected as MP. If that doesn't happen, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their second choices allocated to the remaining candidates. If one candidate then has more than 50% of these votes they are elected. If not, the remaining candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their second preferences (or third preferences if they were the second choice of someone who voted for the first candidate to be eliminated) reallocated. This process continues until one candidate has 50% or more of the vote.
What do opponents of the change say?Defenders of the current system say first-past-the post generally leads to strong government, while a change to AV or proportional representation could make coalition governments the norm rather than the exception.
Why is a referendum being held?A referendum on the Alternative Vote was not included in either the Conservative or Lib Dem election manifestos. However, the Conservatives - who largely oppose electoral reform - conceded a vote on AV as part of their offer to the Lib Dems in negotiations to form a government after the election. The Lib Dems have long urged changes to the voting system and although the AV system is not their preferred choice, they believe it is a first step towards a fairer system.
Is the Alternative Vote system proportional representation?No. Parties could still form a government with less than 50% of first choice votes. Campaigners such as the Electoral Reform Society want a proportional system where the number of seats a party wins is more closely aligned with the number of votes they get. For many years, the Lib Dems have supported the fully proportional Single Transferable Vote system.
How does the electoral system work in Scotland and Wales?Voting for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly is done through what is known as an additional member system. Some representatives are elected via the traditional first-past-the-post method but voters get to cast a second vote for "top-up" seats, allocated in proportion to the number of votes. These representatives are selected on a regional basis from lists of candidates drawn up by each party - with five regions in Wales and eight in Scotland.
What about Northern Ireland?In Northern Ireland local and Assembly elections, voting is done on a single transferable vote basis which sees more than one candidate elected from a single constituency. Voters number candidates in order of preference and all those passing a defined threshold - calculated by dividing the number of valid votes by the number of seats plus one - are elected. Their surplus votes are distributed to other candidates on the basis of other preferences with low-scoring candidates being progressively eliminated.
When will the referendum take place?The government has proposed holding the referendum on 5 May 2011, the same day as elections to the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, the Northern Ireland Assembly and local elections in many parts of England. Holding it then makes sense and will save money as voters are already going to the polls across much of the UK, the Lib Dems say.
Is everyone happy with this date?No. Many Conservatives say the proposed date is misconceived and should be changed. They say it will lead to different levels of turnout in different parts of the UK and produce a distorted result. People in areas of the country where no other votes are taking place - such as London - will have less impetus to take part than in Scotland and Wales, they argue. This could end up favouring the "yes" campaign, they believe. More than 40 Tory MPs called for the poll to be put back, arguing that holding it on the same day as devolved elections flouts constitutional practice. Parties in Scotland and Wales are also angry, saying the referendum will detract from the devolved elections and potentially confuse voters.
Has Parliament approved the referendum?Not yet. MPs have approved the bill paving the way for the referendum but it has yet to be passed by the House of Lords, which is still considering the legislation. The Electoral Commission, which will oversee the poll, says the bill must become law by 24 February if the May poll is to be allowed.
What is Labour's position?Labour leader Ed Miliband says he will campaign for a yes vote in the referendum but the party opposed the bill because it included a separate measure to reduce the number of MPs by 50 to 600 and make constituencies roughly the same size in terms of registered voters. This would disproportionately affect Labour-supporting areas, shadow ministers say, and is tantamount to "political gerrymandering". They wanted the two parts of the bill separated.
What about other parties?
Most smaller parties seem to be officially in favour of a change to AV. Here's a party-by-party guide.
Have preparations for the referendum begun?They have. Yes and No campaigns are both gearing up for a referendum in May recruiting staff, working on strategies and trying to raise money. Both have unveiled the names of leading politicians from the three largest parties supporting their causes. However, the two campaigns do not want to be seen to be dominated by politicians, believing this will turn off voters. David Cameron and Nick Clegg will campaign on different sides of the argument while there are likely to be prominent Labour figures on both sides of the debate.
What question will voters actually be asked?The government proposed the following question: Do you want the United Kingdom to adopt the "alternative vote" system instead of the current "first past the post" system for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons? Yes or no?
In September, the Electoral Commission recommended the question be redrafted to make it "easier to understand". It said the public had a "limited understanding" of the voting systems they were being asked to decide between and this should be clarified.
It suggested this revised version: At present, the UK uses the 'first past the post' system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the 'alternative vote' system be used instead'? Yes or no?
Parliament will decide on the final wording of the question.
Thursday 13 January 2011
BBC News - Q&A: Alternative Vote referendum
via bbc.co.uk
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