Making a difference and gaining valuable experience on election day
The general election next week looks like being one of the most unpredictable in decades. Electoral reform has become a key issue - there are sound arguments for and against different voting systems. But the debate in the UK is characterised by partisanship, and a lack of good data to tell us what might happen under different systems.

What is the Alternative Election project?
General election day on May 6th is a rare to understand what would happen under different voting systems. Alternative Election is an independent project to gauge the view of the electorate on polling day. We need volunteers to go to local polling stations for a couple of hours and ask voters to complete a short survey. They can then submit the results online.

It's worth students (and colleagues) getting involved
Some of your students may not be able to vote. Others may feel that their vote does not count. But by helping us with the Alternative Election they can make a difference. It's a great opportunity to engage students and any other interested parties in a vital, impartial political science project and statistical exercise. We'll ensure everyone who helps gets credit when we publish the results.

How to help the Alternative Election project
Please forward this email or our website details (www.alternative-election.org.uk) to your students, or indeed, any interested colleagues. We think is of particular interest to students but welcome volunteers from any walk of life. Safety is important and volunteers should be advised that as private citizens, they are responsible for their own safety, and they should take sensible precautions.

What happens afterwards
Alternative Election is an 'open source' project. We'll make the data available to schools, our volunteers and then to media outlets and anyone else.  Volunteering is valuable in itself, but participating in this project will help students with an understanding of electoral systems, research and data management. They will play a key role in improving the quality of the debate on an issue of unparalleled importance. Please join us and make a difference.

Yours,

Laura Lucas
alternative-election.org.uk