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RENEWING LOCAL DEMOCRACY: THE NEXT STEPS
APPENDIX C BRIEF EXPLANATION OF ALTERNATIVE ELECTORAL SYSTEMS MENTIONED IN CHAPTER 3
Alternative Vote (AV)
Like FPTP, AV operates on the basis of one member per ward. Under AV, however, instead of casting only one vote, voters rank the candidates on the ballot papers in order of preference. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first preference votes cast, he or she would be elected. But if no one candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the votes cast for candidates with the fewest first preference votes are redistributed to the other candidates on the basis of the second preferences on those ballot papers. This process is repeated until one candidate has acquired more than 50% of the vote.
Additional Member System (AMS)
Under AMS, each elector has 2 votes - one to cast for a single ward member using FPTP, and a second to cast for a wider area member. The percentage of votes obtained by each party determines their overall number of representatives. Each party ranks its wider area candidates on a published list. Those lists are then used to allocate additional seats to parties so that the total number of seats gained by each party is in proportion to the number of votes cast for its members.
Alternative Vote + (AV+)
AV+ (also known as AV top-up) is a variant on AMS under which AV, rather than FPTP, is used to elect the single ward member.
Single Transferable Vote (STV)
STV uses multi-member wards. Electors can vote for as many candidates as they wish and rank them in order of preference. If a voter's first choice candidate does not need their vote (either because they are elected without it, or because they have so few votes that it is impossible for them to be elected), then that voter's second choice candidate is given that vote. This process is repeated until the required number of candidates has been elected.
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