 |
 |
Voting reform bill passes in Parliament
September 8, 2010 5:55 PM
The Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for change to our voting system, which distorts the outcome of elections and is seen by many as unfair.
This change is finally being delivered in the form of a voting reform bill, which contains a referendum on adopting the Alternative Vote system and a re-drawing of constituency boundaries to give equal voice to all regions.
The Alternative Vote seeks to rectify this unequal situation by allowing people to rank their preferences in order, rather than choose only one. It would mean the end of 'wasted votes', and would mean that an MP could not be elected by a minority of the voters.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader, Simon Hughes said:
"We have a unique opportunity to overthrow our archaic voting system and replace it with something fairer and better.
"The Alternative Vote is a system that accommodates more choice while making sure no MP is elected without 50% support from their constituents.
"It will also make MPs work harder to win and keep support. Good MPs will have nothing to fear from AV - only bad MPs will want to keep the current system."
Bath MP Don Foster added "People have sent a clear message to their politicians that they want change - they want to fix Britain's unfair democracy. This bill is all about giving people the chance to do just that."
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats