Is Alternative Vote a better voting system?: it depends…

Countries rarely change their election systems, and when they do the changes usually ‘stick’ for a very long time. So the UK’s promised referendum on adopting the Alternative Vote in May 2011 is an historically important occasion. Rafael Hortala-Vallve argues that voters and politicians both need to take a long-term view of their decisions to back or oppose reform. Each system has its own problems and limitations