If you can't understand the Alternative Vote, you definitely shouldn't be voting at all.

I found it infuriating too, but that's actually because I disagree about this bit. I think the main benefit of AV is actually that you don't have to understand it, cynical as that probably sounds.

The anti-AV argument is that its less transparent to the voter, but I'd argue that in terms of input->outcome it's actually more transparent despite being more complex in actual process. Or rather because of that. Because people's views, priorities and thus party preferences are also complex. The whole point of AV is to provide a calculation system which actually renders those complex combinations more accurately in democratic outcomes.

Take the current push of tactical voting to get the Tories out. People are actually forced to understand the current system more despite it being "simple" because that very simplicity doesn't do enough to allow for people's actual views to be expressed honestly with proportionate effect on parliamentary seats.

It's this lack of "simplicity" (billed as a good thing, but actually just unfit for purpose relative to the complex task of democracy) which allows people to be more honest when faced with a list of candidates and the chance to express all their preferences and priorities in order. It takes away the concern for throwing their vote away by being honest, the downfall of a "simple", easily understandable system.

I'd like to think most people could piece it together if they actually looked in to it, with the many simple explanations out there it's not that hard to grasp. But for those who simply don't care to understand the inner workings, and who don't with our current system either and thus fall in to the various traps of FPTP, this actually allows their more honest vote to matter more. Which is surely the point.

And for those who do understand FPTP and how to vote most effectively for their own ends, there's no way that AV is impossible to understand. But either way, both groups can just vote honestly with more reason for faith in the system to render that properly.

I know there were some people who disagreed with AV versus other non-FPTP systems and that's fair enough. But it would still have been a huge step in the right direction whatever your preference, the bullshit that swung the vote was infuriating indeed.