I presume it’s already been pointed out that David Cameron got to be Tory leader via an AV system?

no because you are wrong, it was Ed who was elected due to second/ third/ fourth preferences

the tory system is a series of FPTP ballots with an ever diminishing number of candidates. hence the electorate can review who to vote for at each stage

HTH

I voted yes to AV. Can’t afford to upgrade to HDMI at the moment.

😛

That explains what I’ve been doing wrong. Sitting here all morning hitting the AV button on the remote but it still didn’t register a vote.

Haven’t voted as I’m 220 miles away from my polling station and card. Bloody work.

Bez – Member

…………whereas AV is highly compatible with the existing electoral infrastructure,……….

In scotland we already use two different forms of PR with no great problems.

some great answers chaps – gave me a few chuckles
Vote pink wafer!!!!!

rightplacerighttime – if you are referring to any of this:

The idea that you gain some sort of intellectual or moral high ground by abstaining is frankly absurd, certainly unless you have a better system which you are actively fighting to see implemented. And if you do then you’d be well advised to vote for pretty much any electoral reform that’s on the table in order to make your point that you dislike the status quo.

Did I mention any of that shit (sorry Bez)?

still interested to hear what arguments you put to the nice polite (but sadly deluded) Jehova’s witnesses

going later because the polling station is IN THE PUB

vote beer mmmmmm!

no because you are wrong, it was Ed who was elected due to second/ third/ fourth preferences

the tory system is a series of FPTP ballots with an ever diminishing number of candidates. hence the electorate can review who to vote for at each stage

HTH

Not really. Looks like AV with people just putting their crosses on the paper each time.

Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck and has the work ‘duck’ written in large flashing lights above it.

Polling station was empty bar 2 people working (is that the right word) in there, normally vote in the evening but got today off so thought would beat the queues, last time i had to wait over an hour to put and x in a box.

Internet voting or via txt would be a great option next time round.

Did I mention any of that shit (sorry Bez)?

You asked me to run through the arguments I put to the Jehovas Witnesses.

TandemJeremy – Member

Vote pink wafer!!!!!

Always knew you were that sort of deviant. 😉

Not really. Looks like AV with people just putting their crosses on the paper each time.

http://www.specsavers.co.uk

HTH

A Polling Stration in the pub. What an inspired idea

But if all the polling stations were in pubs, would you get possible objections from Muslim voters?

And where do Jehovah’s witnesses sit on the whole pub thing?

“no because you are wrong, it was Ed who was elected due to second/ third/ fourth preferences the tory system is a series of FPTP ballots with an ever diminishing number of candidates. hence the electorate can review who to vote for at each stage“

Heh. That is precisely how AV works. It’s just that you specify all your preferences up-front rather than on an ‘as needs be’ basis (which is thoroughly impractical as a national ballot).

You fill in your favourite. If your favourite goes out, you can opt to vote for one of the remaining contenders or you can walk. And so on. AV is precisely the system you describe, it just saves on time and paper.

Because those options are readily accessible to more people in the country than the Internet is. Plus the “if it ain’t broke” argument.

True, but over 30 million people in the UK access the internet every day and around 75% of households have internet access. So it’s not exactly a minority interest.

I’m not saying it should replace polling stations (yet), but it would be a useful addition!

I mean, I’m with you, Internet voting would be nice – but it’s not like you’ve got to trek 20 miles barefoot and hand-carve your vote in a tablet of granite.

True, but there are already two people on this thread who haven’t been able to vote for whatever reason, who probably could if we had internet voting system set up.

Surely some boffin can devise a way for these shiny computery things to transmit information to each other and allow us to communicate our votes through some form of inter-connected network, or “internet”?

Designing a system to do this would be pretty easy. Designing a secret and secure system that isn’t open to abuse to do this would be considerably more difficult. The simple pencil & paper system has a lot going for it. Alternatively you could register for a postal vote.

Yeah, I agree. Internet voting would, in principle, be A Good Thing.

But if all the polling stations were in pubs, would you get possible objections from Muslim voters?

Our polling station is church hall at local C of E.
Should the same question be asked?

Heh. That is precisely how AV works. It’s just that you specify all your preferences up-front rather than on an ‘as needs be’ basis (which is thoroughly impractical as a national ballot).

You fill in your favourite. If your favourite goes out, you can opt to vote for one of the remaining contenders or you can walk. And so on. AV is precisely the system you describe, it just saves on time and paper

it’s not how the tory system works, many people switch allegience in the tory leadership campaigns which is what causes all the hoopla. In the tory system your first (only) preference can change at each ballot, in AV it doesn’t unless your candidate drops out in a round. A simple but fundamental difference.

of course you can continue to oversimplify if you want if it makes you happy to be right 😉

Our polling station is church hall at local C of E.
Should the same question be asked?

No.

It’s no wonder we have so many problems with race relations in this country.

What do you suppose the “offence” would be?

Hmmmmmmmmmm. This raises some interesting questions. Would an alcoholic feel comfortable if the polling station was in a mosque. Indeed… would Allah mind if the alcoholic felt comfortable in the mosque?

Hmmmmmmmm… indeed.

I’ve already voted NO.

It’s no wonder we have so many problems with race relations in this country.

I was responding to a “joke” with a “joke”
Sorry if you were offended 🙄

Not really. Looks like AV with people just putting their crosses on the paper each time.
http://www.specsavers.co.uk

HTH

Erm:

Designing a secret and secure system that isn’t open to abuse to do this would be considerably more difficult. The simple pencil & paper system has a lot going for it.

Good point. Someone would need to know my address AND date of birth to fake my paper vote. Inconceivable.

Alternatively you could register for a postal vote.

I did and I used it – but it does have distinct disadvantage that you have to send it off before the public debates have finished.

“many people switch allegience in the tory leadership campaigns which is what causes all the hoopla. In the tory system your first (only) preference can change at each ballot, in AV it doesn’t unless your candidate drops out in a round.“

Yes. This is true. But internal party wrangling is, I rather suspect, a messy and polluted game. The two systems do differ but I disagree that it is a fundamental difference: it is entirely incidental and immaterial.

If, as should occur in a general election, the parties and candidates all set out their cases up front, then the relative merits are set. The only reason for anyone to change their preference after any given round is if the policies materially change.

If you’re proposing policy changes between voting rounds then yes, there is a difference. But if there is no policy change then the benefit analysis will pan out identically each time and there is no need to build in a mechanism for people to change their mind.

Bez – Member

“no because you are wrong, it was Ed who was elected due to second/ third/ fourth preferences the tory system is a series of FPTP ballots with an ever diminishing number of candidates. hence the electorate can review who to vote for at each stage”

Heh. That is precisely how AV works. It’s just that you specify all your preferences up-front rather than on an ‘as needs be’ basis (which is thoroughly impractical as a national ballot).

You fill in your favourite. If your favourite goes out, you can opt to vote for one of the remaining contenders or you can walk. And so on. AV is precisely the system you describe, it just saves on time and paper.

dont think this is correct- only the second choice of those who voted for the least popular candidate gets counted, not eveybody’s second choice- a fundamental difference.

would Allah mind if the alcoholic felt comfortable in the mosque?

Allah, could not, would not mind or not mind. You cannot attribute human characteristics to Allah

Not yet. Will be voting SNP, SNP and YES when I do go though.

You cannot attribute human characteristics to Allah a non-existent fairy

You are right there as well, Woppit. Mark this day in your diaries!

A sort of AV system then 🙂

I did and I used it – but it does have distinct disadvantage that you have to send it off before the public debates have finished.

Not true. You can take it along to the polling station on the day.

Calling Allah a fairy? You’ll be drawing cartoons next 😉

Boom, boom, shake shake the etc… 🙂

The simple pencil & paper system has a lot going for it.

At the same time I’m not convinced that it is a secure system, there’s no ID check and no requirement to take your poll card with you.

I know during the last general election some people who were EU nationals got a vote because they’d not declared their nationality on the electoral register. It was only when I was discussing how the OH didn’t get a vote that they realised they shouldn’t have either!

Not true. You can take it along to the polling station on the day.

Brilliant – yes true, I could register for a postal vote and then effectively avoid the whole point of it by traipsing to polling station anyway!

Alternatively why can’t the “postal vote” just give me a one-time password so I can log into a website with my voter number and vote there?

Voted yes to AV.
The party i would usually vote for say that if they will get in they would save £25m by scrapping a new velodrome here in Derby. Difficult decision to make!

Calling Allah a fairy?

I seriously doubt that even Woppit would do this.