Alternative Vote System

Types of Alternative Vote Systems

There are two types of AV systems:

1. Alternative Vote 2. Alternative Vote (Plus)The AV Plus system differs from the traditional type of Alternative Vote System in that it includes a party-list component. Similar to the AV system, with AV Plus, voters are asked to rank individual candidates in order of preference. They must also select a party from the party-list column. The party-list votes are then distributed to represent each party’s share of the votes proportionally. The AV Plus system is not currently being used anywhere in the world. For that reason, we will focus on the more widely used type, Alternative Vote system,

Characteristics of the Alternative Voting System

Fig. 2 Voting illustration

One of the most interesting characteristics of the AV system is that it encourages candidates to run less divisive campaigns and broaden their appeal to a broader constituency.

Why is this?

From a purely strategic standpoint, if a candidate wants to be successful in the election, they will need to position themselves to become the second (or even third) most preferred candidate among their opponents' voters. For example, should their opponent be eliminated, candidates are more likely to receive their opponent's second and third preference votes if they appeal to a broader voter segment, minimise divisive rhetoric, and avoid negative campaigning. Research shows that when using the AV system, candidates whose ideas are more extreme, more polarising or lie on the fringes of the political spectrum are the most likely to be eliminated first.

Alternative Vote System Advantages

There are both advantages and disadvantages to the Alternative Vote System. The following table shows some of the advantages of using the alternative voting system.

Alternative Vote System Disadvantages

The following table shows some of the disadvantages of using the alternative voting system.

Examples of Alternative Voting Systems

Fig. 3 Example of a Preferential ballot

An excellent example of an alternative voting system is its use in Australia. First introduced in 1918 to replace the FPTP system and address the problem of vote-splitting, Australia has been using the AV system ever since. It is the only major democracy to use the system. Currently, Australia uses various preferential voting systems in nearly all of its elections, from the upper and lower houses to municipal, state, and federal legislatures.

The use of the AV system in Australia slightly varies depending on which state is holding the election. Australia uses Full Preferential Voting (FPV), which means that voters must rank in order of preference for each candidate on the ballot. South Wales uses the Optional Preferential Voting (OPV), whereby voters rank at least one or as many as all candidates in order of preference.

As a result of Australia's decision to employ preferential voting, the two-party system is less prevalent. More noteworthy, minor parties have gained more influence in Australian politics.

Alternative Vote in the UK

During the 2010 UK general election, the David Cameron-led Conservative Party won 306 seats in parliament, falling well short of the number needed for a majority. With the underperforming Labour Party gaining only 258 seats, no party claimed a majority, which led to a hung parliament. As a result, the Liberal Democrats, led by Nick Clegg and with 57 seats of their own, found themselves in a position where they would play a pivotal role in forming the new government.

After lengthy negotiations between Labour and the Liberal Democrats could reach no deal to form a government. In the end, the Liberal Democrats agreed to a deal with David Cameron's Conservative Party to form a coalition government. Success came about after the two parties negotiated a joint programme of government and put together an elaborate process to help reconcile policy differences between them. One of the key negotiations centred around the voting system used to elect MPs in Westminster. The Conservative Party had consistently opposed any plans to reform the First-Past-The-Post electoral system, the system used to elect MPs in Westminster (it tends to overrepresent Conservatives). The Liberal Democrats advocated a proportional voting system, which advocates argue is more representative and one that tends to produce more diverse parliaments.

In the end, the Conservatives agreed to hold a referendum on the introduction of the Alternative Vote (AV) system for Westminster elections. The referendum was held in 2011 but failed to garner support among the electorate (70% of voters rejected the AV system).

Today, the AV system is not used in the United Kingdom. However, both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats use the AV system to elect their own party leaders.