The Alternative Vote: A Concept in Electoral Reform

The Alternative Vote (AV) is a voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate receives more than half of the first-choice votes, they win. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on second choices. This process continues until one candidate has more than half the votes and is declared the winner. AV aims to produce a result that better reflects voters' preferences, reducing the chance of “wasted” votes and encouraging candidates to seek broader support.