On 5th of May 2011 a UK wide referendum will ask whether the Alternative Vote (AV) system should be used for general elections.

Over the next month, Full Fact will cover the main arguments and debates between the NO and YES campaigns, comparing what is being said with the facts.

We have also drawn together a page of useful information and research on AV and created a page to explain how AV would work in the UK.

Do some people's votes count more under AV?

 The Sun: “...we will be asked in a referendum to abandon one person, one vote”.

'Yes to Fairer Votes': “No. With AV everyone gets one vote.”

Does a candidate need more than 50 per cent of the vote to win?

The Guardian: “...[AV] requires an elected MP to have the support of a majority of the votes cast.”

'No to AV': “...a large number of MPs would win with less than 50% of the vote.”

Do only three countries use AV worldwide?

'No to AV': "...it is used by just three countries in the world – Fiji, Australia and Papua New Guinea."

The Independent: "It is also used to choose the Irish President, in many US mayoral elections and for the Best Picture at the Oscars."

Would AV eliminate safe seats?

 Lord Ashdown: "No more safe seats, ever, politicians will now have to fight harder to get elected, every vote will count."

How many votes 'count' under First Past the Post?

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat: “Research has shown that the result of the last election was decided by fewer than 500,000 votes.”

How much will AV cost?

'No to AV': “The change to AV will cost up to an additional £250 million.”

'Yes to Fairer Votes': “The only piece of equipment you need to vote with AV is a pencil. The No camp’s sums... simply don’t add up.”

 

What does AV mean for tactical voting?

'Yes to fairer votes': “AV simply eliminates the need for it.”

'No 2 AV': AV wouldn’t eliminate tactical voting, it would reinvent it.”

 

Which system has a stronger MP constituency link?

'Yes to fairer votes': “With so many MPs lacking even a basic mandate from their voters, any claims to a constituency link under First Past the Post look laughable.”

 

Would AV lead to more coalition governments?

 

'Yes to Fairer Votes': “Voters delivered a hung parliament in 2010 under First Past the Post, and not for the first time.”

 

Does AV lead to more representative governments?

 'No to AV': “AV is not a proportional system. In three out of the past four British elections AV would have produced more disproportionate results than First Past the Post.”

 

Does AV give greater representation to minority and extremist parties?

'Yes to Fairer Votes': “First Past the Post offers no protection against extremism.”

Baroness Warsi in The Sun: “...AV could see candidates pandering to extremist voters.”

 

Did AV lead to low turnout and compulsory voting in Australia?

'No to AV': "[Australia] even had to make voting compulsory because so many were put off by the prospect of AV."

Gareth Thomas MP: "AV will increase voter turnout."

 

Can third placed candidates end up winning under AV?

David Cameron: “Under AV, the candidate who finishes third can be declared the winner.”

 

Does AV lead to more spoiled ballots in elections? 

 

Is there a link between safe seats and dodgy 'duck house expenses?

 "Basically if you want more duck houses vote no, keep things the way they are. If you want something better and fairer vote Yes.” Nick Clegg.

 

Is FPTP good at throwing out unpopular governments?

“In just 1 election in 100 years has a government with a working majority been replaced by a government with a working majority from another party.” 'Yes to fairer votes'

“If you want a system that lets you... ‘throw the rascals out’... you must vote No to AV.” David Cameron. 

 

Under AV can a candidate lose for being too popular? 

"[With AV] in some situations, a candidate's chances of winning can actually be reduced if voters rank them higher on the list.”

 

Varied accuracy on new AV referendum claims

 

Would only the Lib Dems have always benefited in past elections under AV?

 

Has UK politics traditionally been a two-horse race? 

 

The questionable AV referendum claims that cannot be factchecked

 

If you see any further claims that you think we should look into, please let us know on team@fullfact.org

The Intelligence Squared Debate

Full Fact recently teamed up with Intelligence Squared to provide those attending its debate on AV with the facts on the claims made by proponents in the 'Yes' and 'No' camps. To watch highlights of the debate, take a look at the video below.