Explain AV Voting System

Comment on UK Electoral Reform – Alternative Vote System by ukhuman1st.

It might help if someone could explain exactly how AV works. I can’t quite work out why people need to rank more than their first and second preferences. As I understand it, the candidates are initially ranked according to who gets the most ‘first choice’ votes. If no candidate gets more than 50% of first choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the ‘second choice’ votes of those who voted for him/her are added to the first choice votes. If still no candidate has more than 50%, another candidate is eliminated. I can’t see how at any stage anyone needs to take into account anyone’s 3rd or 4th or 5th etc preferences so why complicate matters by allowing them to be inserted on the ballot paper? Surely ‘alternative’ implies just a choice of two, as does the concept of having only a single transferable vote?

The AV system is used in Australia and does not lead to the extremist parties some fear. Also, I don’t know why the Tories oppose it – it is rather like the way they elect their leader. In round one, everyone votes for their first choice, then the candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated and so on, so those who voted for an eliminated candidate switch to their second choice – the AV system does the same but in one ballot. If it’s good enough for MPs electing a Tory leader, why isn’t it good enough for the rest of us to elect a local representative as MP??).