With less than 5 months until the referendum on the choice of electoral system on 5th May next year there was much interest in the talk by Harvey Cox, a recently retired lecturer in Political Science from Liverpool University.

The referendum, the first national one in 37 years, will give the people of the UK the right to choose between the current voting system, ‘First Past The Post’, and the ‘Alternative Vote’. The Alternative Vote allows voters to select candidates in order of preference and ensures that the elected candidate has received over 50% of the vote. This means the ‘Alternative Vote’ eliminates the need for tactical voting, helps minimise negative campaigning and ensures that MPs have the support of the majority of their constituency.

A recent ICM Poll found that more people are in favour of the new system (35%) than our current electoral system (22%), but that there are still many who are not aware of the choices open to them (35%). Shrewsbury, as this event proves, is leading the way in engaging with the referendum, with voters going out of their way to make informed choices.

Caroline Cheyne from Shrewsbury who attended the event, and supports the AV proposals, said “I was delighted to see so many local people contributing to a lively discussion on voting reform”. She added “it’s crucial that people understand exactly what is involved next May as it will affect everyone. The changes are really simple as 1,2,3, and they will mean that voters have a much greater choice when it comes to choosing their MP in future.”