Canada Electoral Reform

[minionofmidas]

A descriptive name of the "Alternative Vote" would be Dumbed-Down IRV (IRV = Instant Runoff Voting, ie STV with single member constituencies).
You get only two preferences.
If nobody has a majority, all but the top two candidates are eliminated, and those of the weaker candidates' voters whose second preference was for one of the top two candidates have their second preference counted.
In a situation where it's reasonably obvious who the top two finishers'll be, it works out much like (non-compulsory) IRV (unlike the Australian version, then). In a situation where that's not the case, expect the result to get down right screwy.

[minionofmidas]

In a situation where it's reasonably obvious who the top two finishers'll be, it works out much like (non-compulsory) IRV (unlike the Australian version, then). In a situation where that's not the case, expect the result to get down right screwy.

Sort of like Queensland and New South Wales state versions, then? Where it's optional preferential - in other words, you can number as many squares as you like?

Yeah. Except imagine a situation where lots of people actually do refuse to choose between Labor and the Liberals. There weren't a lot of those in Qld - I guess because Australians are used to checking all the boxes?

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Yes, of course. You're using real IRV. Thing is, it's usually obvious from the first count on who the final two will be, and in those cases it makes no difference.