They Blog For You

TIME to explode another myth surrounding the reformers’ fourth-favourite electoral system, the Alternative Vote (AV).

It will mean that every vote counts, say its “supporters”; no more tactical voting for candidates you don’t actually support.

Ah, bless.

In fact, AV will institutionalise tactical voting and make sure that many, many more voters than before will use their votes tactically.

For example, if you live in Glasgow South and you’re a Conservative Party supporter, under First-Past-The-Post (FPTP), you might place your cross against the Tory candidate on the understanding that he/she won’t be elected (contrary to another myth about voting reform, such votes are not “wasted”; they are “votes cast for a candidate who didn’t win”).

So, under AV, knowing your preferred candidate is unlikely to win, how do you then use your second vote? As a Tory supporter you’re likely to want to stop that Labour chap  – you know, that tall bloke with the blog – can’t recall his name but he’s devilishly charming and handsome… Or perhaps, as someone who supported the Tories back in the day when they were still a Unionist party, you’ll want to cast your second vote to scupper the SNP?

That’s how it works. If your first preference is a no-hoper, your second preference will be counted earlier than those of voters who supported one of the front-runners. And if you calculate that your second preference is unlikely to win either, who do you actually want to win? And just as importantly – and the question that the system is geared to prompt you to ask before you vote – who do you want to lose?

Voting tactically with your second or third preference vote is no different from placing a cross against the name of the person you dislike the least under the current system. The only difference is that you have the luxury of casting a “wasted” vote first, before getting on with the main task of voting tactically.

There’s no difference between a situation where a voter reluctantly places a cross against the name of his least-disliked candidate in order to have a chance of actually affecting the result, and placing a 2 or 3 against the same name under AV.

It’s all very well to claim that AV allows you to support the candidate you really want to win rather than compromising, but that’s exactly what you’ll be doing when you choose your second and third preferences.

And if all the above sounds complicated – welcome to the world of electoral reform.