Why I will be voting Yes on Thursday

What does God think about democracy? The kingdom of Israel, as described in the Old Testament, was anything but democratic by modern standards. Nevertheless there are clues that suggest that God preferred a style of government whereby the governors were favoured and endorsed by the governed. In 1 Samuel 8, the elders of Israel decided they wanted a king. God made it clear through his prophet Samuel that he thought this was a bad idea but, if they wanted a king, they would get a king. God led Samuel to anoint Saul as king. He was presented to the people (i.e. most likely the tribal elders) and they were happy with the selection (1 Sam 10:24). This was hardly a free and fair election and Saul’s appointment certainly wasn’t unanimous (1 Sam 10:27) but, in a primitive form at least, this was a democratic process.

Democracy is not without its flaws and it can take many different forms. However, the recent uprisings in the Arab world have shown the instability, unpopularity and injustice of autocratic regimes where citizens have little or no control over the people who govern them.

This Thursday, a referendum will be held in the UK in which voters will be asked to choose whether we should change our system of electing MPs from the current First Past The Post (FPTP) system to an Alternative Vote (AV) system. Both are democratic but, in my view, a change to AV will give the electorate more power. Under FPTP, the majority of constituencies in the UK are “safe seats” where the result is a foregone conclusion. This means that only voters living in “marginal” constituencies have the power to determine an election. And even in most of these areas, the contest is effectively a two-horse race with the majority of candidates having little or no chance of winning.

AV will have the effect of opening up some of these safe seats and allowing a greater number of candidates a realistic chance of winning. AV allows people to vote for their favourite candidate without “wasting” their vote as, once their top choice is eliminated, their vote for their second choice candidate will be counted. This system also reduces the chance of two similar parties “splitting” the vote and leaving the constituency with an MP that the majority of the electorate didn’t want.

There is no perfect political system. As citizens, we need to exercise wisdom to discern what is right and just. This will lead different people to different conclusions. However, in my opinion, a vote for change this week is a step in the right direction towards a government that is truly chosen by and accountable to the people.