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THE campaign to change the voting system for Westminster elections was launched in Scotland yesterday.

A cross-party panel of politicians put the case for switching to the alternative vote, or AV, system at a meeting in Glasgow.

They claimed it was fairer than the existing first-past-the-post method of electing MPs - because people had a greater chance to influence the result.

And they vowed to campaign for a historic change in the run-up to the UK-wide referendum which takes place on May 5, the same day as the Holyrood election.

The Scotland Says Yes To AV campaign was launched by Labour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander and former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy.

Scottish Greens leader Patrick Harvie and former SNP MP John Mason also spoke out in favour.

Paisley MP Alexander said: "I would ask voters across Scotland to ask themselves a simple question - are you happy with the state of British politics?

"I believe a yes vote in this referendum is a chance to change our politics."

Labour offered a referendum on AV before the last general election, though a sizeable minority of their MPs are opposed to change.

But following Labour's defeat, the referendum was delivered by the Con-Dems. For both parties, it's a compromise - between the Tories who oppose change and the Lib Dems who want the more radical single transferable vote, or STV.

The Lib Dems, the SNP and Greens see AV as a stepping stone towards STV, in which voters would elect a group of MPs for new super-constituencies.

But Kennedy urged Scots not to miss a once-in-a-generation chance to reform the age-old system.

He said: "You should vote No to AV if you want politics preserved in aspic. You should vote No to AV if you can't count to three."

HOW IT WORKS

Under the AV system, voters rank candidates in order of preference.

They mark "1" beside their first choice, "2" next to their second and so on. They can show a preference for all, some or just one candidate.

If a candidate gets 50 per cent of all the first-choice votes, they are elected.

If not, the candidate who came last is eliminated and their second-choice votes are redistributed and counted. The process is repeated until someone reaches 50 per cent.

It means the winning candidate has to gain at least some support from at least half the electorate.

AV, which is used to pick Best Film at the Oscars, results in one winner, keeping the important link between a constituency and a single MP.

NO

Says John Reid, former Labour cabinet minister

Scotland never wanted a referendum on the same day as elections to the Scottish Parliament but Nick Clegg insisted on it, and that is what we have got.

Although the elections to Holyrood will dominate for the next few weeks, it's important we don't lose sight of the referendum. We are in grave danger of sleepwalking into an expensive electoral disaster.

Clegg wants us to say yes to AV as a method of electing MPs because he believes any system that boosts the Lib Dems will help keep him and his party in government for many years.

The joy of the current system is that at most elections the people have the power to throw a government out and put another in.

By saying yes to AV, the people would be surrendering that power to Nick Clegg. He alone would decide on the formation of a coalition. AV is bad on so many counts.

People who back extremist and small parties such as the BNP, UKIP or the Scottish Socialist Party would have several bites of the cherry.

People backing mainstream candidates would have to settle for one vote.

Tactical voting would become a whole new ball game, since the order in which candidates are eliminated is vital to determining where transfer votes go. If it sounds incredibly complicated, it is.

And it is perverse, too, because the candidate who comes second or third could end up being the winner.

AV is hopeless for electing the UK Parliament. In fact, it's hopeless the world over. Only three countries use it - Fiji, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Fiji plans to get rid of it. Australia had to make voting compulsory because turnout dropped drastically.

I think most Scots know when they are being sold a pup. The only thing to do is vote no.

YES

Says Douglas Alexander, shadow foreign secretary

I want the votes of everyone in Scotland to count.

The reality is that 150,000 voters or so in fewer than 100 constituencies often decide election results and who is the government.

I believe that if you want to be an MP, you should have to at least aim to get 50 per cent support in the communities you seek to represent.

Of course, there are good colleagues of mine on the other side of this debate.

And extremist parties don't want this change. They know it won't be as helpful to them as the current system, which is why the BNP are urging a no vote.

I think this change can help rebuild the trust between politicians and the public.

That is why, along with Labour leader Ed Miliband, I'll be voting yes on May 5.