AV is less complex than First Past the Post

AV is less complex than First Past the Post

This post is part of a series onĀ The Atlernative Vote Referendum on May 5th.

In a previous post, I poked fun at the idea that ranking candidates in order of preference on the ballot (as is proposed under AV) is somehow too complex for the ordinary voter to understand.

Here’s the thing. I think First Past the Post makes voting more complicated than AV. In the last election, I knew whom I wanted to vote for, but before voted, I had to do the due diligence and do some research into the 2005 election (here) to make sure that my vote did not split the vote so that my least favourite candidate would get in. This is clearly far more complicated than ranking the candidates on the ballot paper.

This flowchart sums it up quite nicely:

Chart fromĀ www.anthonysmith.me.uk

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, is against AV. He was elected under AV, so this is confusing. Is he saying that Londoners are smarter than the rest of the country? I hope not!

 

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