NUS will be working to get students registered to vote, educated on the issue and out to vote come the 5 May.
How are we here?
A referendum on AV was at the centre of the coalition document that was negotiated after the 2010 General Election, in which no party received a majority in the House of Commons. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats entered into a coalition government under the proviso that a referendum would be called in 2011 on whether to change the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections.
A referendum on AV was not included in either the Conservative or Lib Dem election manifestos. However, the Conservatives - who largely oppose changes to the system - conceded a vote on AV as part of their offer to the Lib Dems during negotiations. The Lib Dems have long urged changes to the voting system and although the AV system is not their preferred choice, they believe it is a first step towards a fairer system.
Why is change being demanded?
Many people believe that too many votes are being wasted under the current system, with elections decided by a small number of voters in a handful of seats where no single party has a large majority. This discourages people from voting and makes them disengage with the political process. A key weakness of FPT,P they say, is that two thirds of MPs are now elected with less than 50% of support of voters and this undermines democracy. They argue a different system will provide voters with more choice, force candidates to appeal to a broader section of the public and work harder to get elected.
How do electoral systems work elsewhere?
Voting for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly is done through what is known as an additional member system (AMS). Some representatives are elected via the traditional FPTP method but voters get to cast a second vote for "top-up" seats, allocated in proportion to the number of votes. In Northern Ireland local and Assembly elections, voting is done on a single transferable vote (STV) basis which sees more than one candidate elected from a single constituency. Voters number candidates in order of preference and all those passing a defined threshold are elected. Their surplus votes are distributed to other candidates on the basis of other preferences with low-scoring candidates progressively eliminated.
An issue of turnout
Many commentators believe that there will be different levels of turnout across the country. The referendum on the 5 May is the same day as devolved elections in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This may mean higher turnout in the nations than in England where local elections are taking place in a number of areas. It is important that students get registered, and out to vote on the day of the referendum to demonstrate that students do want to engage in the democratic process.
When will we know the result?
The count will begin at 4.00pm on the 6 May, the day after the poll. The outcome of the referendum is expected to be known later that evening.