Once every four years, all Londoners’ votes matter.  Contrary to a general or local election, every vote counts. For the London Assembly, the system is straightforward and empowering. The make-up of the Assembly will reflect how all of London voted. People can affect the overall result no matter where in London they live.  That is because of the proportional voting system used.  Moreover, for the London Assembly (London-wide ballot paper) people's vote will in effect count twice: once for the party they support; and once against extremists. This is because their vote makes it harder for extremist parties like the BNP to be elected; as it takes such parties an extra vote further away from reaching that 5% threshold. And for electing the Mayor, Londoners get the chance to express both their 1st and 2nd choices, rather than condense all their thinking down into a single candidate. So people can vote with their heart and with their head if they want to. Again, the advantage of the preferential system used for the mayoral election.

www.londonersvotescount.org.uk also contains predictions about the results, provides more detailed information about the voting systems used, and makes the connections between these elections and the current electoral reform debate about the Alternative Vote for the Commons.  The site will be updated as the results come in to provide further analysis and comment.