Local Elections 2011
The Local Elections for 2011 were carried out on the 5th of May.
To find out how to vote in your area - click on the areas below:
Metropolitan:
Birmingham
Coventry
Dudley
Sandwell
Solihull
Walsall
Wolverhampton
Unitary Authorities:
Telford & Wrekin
Second-Tier Districts:
Bromsgrove
Lichfield
Malvern Hills
Stafford
Staffordshire Moorlands
East Staffordshire
Forest of Dean
Hinckley & Bosworth
North Warwickshire
Warwick
Wychavon
Wyre
ALTERNATIVE VOTE:
A referendum over on the voting system that is used to elect MP's in the House of Commons - there are two campaigns one for the Alternative Vote and one against it who was to keep it the way it is with First Past the Post.
Voting cards have been sent out for the referendum on 5th May to decide which voting system the UK uses - the current First Past The Post system, or the proposed Alternative Vote system.
But many people don't understand what they are voting for and have asked questions like..
Why are we having a vote?
As part of the coalition agreement, it was agreed to have a referendum over making changes to the voting system in the UK. Currently, we use the First Past The Post (FPTP) system and it was proposed to change to the Alternative Vote (AV) system.
What's the difference?
Using the current FPTP system, you put an X next to your first choice on the ballot. These votes are counted up and the person with the most is the winner.
Under AV, you will rate the candidates in order of preference, putting 1 next to your favourite, then 2 next to your second favourite and so on. If a candidate gets more than 50% of they vote, they are elected. If not, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and that person's second choice votes are allocated to the other candidates. After this, if no candidate has 50% of the vote, the process repeats. This will continues until one candidate has over 50%.
Voting yes will upgrade a 19th century system for the 21st century.
The Yes To Fairer Votes campaign says AV will force MPs to work harder to earn and keep your support, as they would need at least 50% of votes to be elected. It would mean you would have a bigger say in who your local MP is, as if your favourite doesn't win, you can still have your say.
The Vote No to AV Campaign say that AV is costly, adding £250m to elections. They also state it is a complex and unfair system, where the person elected could be the person that comes second or third. It will also lead to more hung parliaments, meaning a increase in backroom deals and broken promises - and allowing politicians to decide who runs our country.