Yes or No?

[Stephen Coates]

Where did the polls forum go? [Edit: I found it. I was hidden away somewhere.]

Anyway, today is the day we are voting on the referendum on the voting system.

So who voted yes and who voted no?

I voted no.

[burns flipper]

We have to vote on how to vote?

[Teho]

I feel this poll is biased against people who don't have an opinion either way. I mean, the poll demands a clear yes or no answer, but I feel the issue isn't as black and white as that. There are clear grey-areas here that should demand more options such as 'maybe' or even an 'I don't know' for example.

[Stephen Coates]

Then I suppose that those who aren't sure whether the answer is Yes or No should just not vote.

[Harrison]

I also voted NO today at the polling station. I definitely don't want to see AV being introduced as the voting system in the UK. First past the post is the only fair way in my view. The person with the most votes wins, regardless of percentages or margins.

So many people I was talking to in recent weeks just didn't understand that they were voting for and were going to vote YES without realising why. After I explained what the first past the post and the AV systems were they all instantly changed their minds and were going to vote NO. If the AV system does get through this referendum then it will be because people didn't understand what they were voting for, not because they wanted it.

[Buleste]

I voted yes and I understood perfectly what I voted for. First past the post would be fair if the party who got the most votes actually gets in power. Instead it's who gets the most MP's which is totally different.

I voted for AV purely because ever since I have been born there have been strong majorities in parliament (apart from this government but lets face it the tories are using the Lib Dems as their whipping boys so it's still effectively a tory majority) and every single government has totally screwed over the people and f****d things up for the majority regardless of their political persuasion.

If AV does go through then hopefully it will change the way that the parties do business and they will no longer ride roughshod over the views of the people.

Also if AV does go through then it will make people think about what they do when they vote rather than just putting an X next to the box of the party they've always voted.

I understand those in support of AV's point of view, especially when a seat might be held by just 100 votes, but I personally want to know that the single vote I make carries weight behind the single party I'm voting for, not that it could end up supporting someone I don't want in power.

Then rather than putting 2,3 etc next to other people just put the 1 next to the person you want. You do not have to vote for others. Chances are that I personally will only cast a vote for my preferred candidate and none others however if I wished to have a second preference then it's nice to have the option.

[Harrison]

Your argument for AV, or to give it's real name, Proportional Representation, so that the actual votes by the public all count towards a single total to get a party into power won't achieve this because the votes are still isolated into each constituency, so the best anyone under an AV system could hope for is that in more marginal seats when the results are not clear cut and the percentage lead doesn't give a clear majority, the redistributed votes might tip the balance and get the second party into power for that seat.

I understand those in support of AV's point of view, especially when a seat might be held by just 100 votes, but I personally want to know that the single vote I make carries weight behind the single party I'm voting for, not that it could end up supporting someone I don't want in power.

[Demon Cleaner]

Wrong country.

[Buleste]

I know it's not PR (I don't like PR, AV or FPTP as voting sytems) but it's better than FPTP IMHO and this country need shaking by it's balls to make people think before they vote.

This referendum is not giving me the choices I want but if I choose then I will vote for change. Kylie was wrong. It's not "better the devil you know". The devil I know has screwed me over so I'd prefer the devil I don't know to screw me over instead.

[Stephen Coates]

Personally, I think AV is too complicated. I get the gist but it still seems a bit too complicated.

Regarding the current system, it does look like the majority of voters could NOT have voted for the winner, even if the winner gets more votes than all the other candidates. I suppose this is one of the reasons why they are proposing the AV system.