On May 5th, there's a nationwide referendum on whether to replace the system of First Past the Post with the 'Alternative Vote' - or AV. The Liberal Democrats demanded this referendum as part of the Coalition agreement - but the Conservative Party are actively campaigning for a 'No' vote. Here's why:
- AV is unfair. With First Past the Post, everybody gets one vote. But under AV, supporters of extreme parties like the BNP would get their vote counted many times, while other people's vote would only be counted once.
- AV doesn't work. Rather than the candidate with the most votes winning, the person who finishes third could be declared the winner.
- AV is expensive. Calculating the results is a long, complicated process, which would cost the taxpayer millions.
- No-one wants AV. Even the 'Yes' campaigners don't actually want AV - they see it as a convenient stepping stone to yet more changes to how we vote.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Go to the No to AV website and sign up to receive emails
- Contact [email protected] to offer your help locally.
- Join the NO to AV group on Facebook or follow them on Twitter
- Volunteer to phone canvass in your area
- Visit our No to AV page and sign the petition
- Forward this video on to five friends
Together, we can win this referendum and save our voting system.