A friend just put a comment on my FB status that sums up a benefit of AV:

“for the (council) election I have had zero information. Does no-one want me to vote? I don’t vote on party lines but for best candidate in my eyes. So all I have is a list, a blindfold and a pin.”

He lives in a safe Tory council ward. I bet he’d have had more information if council elections were AV…

“for the (council) election I have had zero information. Does no-one want me to vote? I don’t vote on party lines but for best candidate in my eyes. So all I have is a list, a blindfold and a pin.”I don’t care about my vote enough to find out about the candidates

FTFH
AV wont fix apathetic voters.

To be fair, there is almost zero information about candidates in some wards. The only mentions I can see of the two Labour candidates in his ward are on the official list of candidates and in a big list in the local rag.

Given previous results, they’re probably just there as names to give a choice and to allow the Labour party to say they’re fielding a full list of candidates.

Frankly, many town councils have a job getting enough councilors to stand anyway so it’s more a question of who’s prepared to do it.

District councils are a bit better, but not much.

Having attended a couple of district council meetings lately to do with the development of a core strategy document and also a planning application for a windfarm, the ability (or rather lack of ability) of the councilors to even follow the presentations being made by the council officers was frankly embarrassing- half of them to my mind were just too stupid to do the job.

Have to say I’ve been less than impressed with some town councillors though some are excellent. Pondering standing myself in 2015, but it’s pretty incompatible with job at the moment.

He lives in a safe Tory council ward. I bet he’d have had more information if council elections were AV…

I very much doubt it. A safe seat is a safe seat regardless of AV or FPTP.

In closer run constituencies I imagine all parties are out regardless of voting system.

very much doubt it. A safe seat is a safe seat regardless of AV or FPTP

Depends how/if the opposition vote is split

Why don’t we have any Exit Poll data on AV vote yet?

They never put out exit poll info until after the polls are closed. You’ll have to wait until about one minute past 10.