OXFORD East MP Andrew Smith said he was delighted Oxford was one of only 10 areas in the country to back political reform — and confirmed he voted yes to the Alternative Vote.
Other voters in Oxfordshire rejected switching from the current first past the post to the Alternative Vote (AV) system by a ratio of more than two-to-one.
Nationally, 67.9 per cent said No to a switch in the referendum, which was held as part of the deal brokered by the Liberal Democrats when they formed the coalition Government with the Tories a year ago.
Mr Smith, left, said: “I was delighted to see that Oxford was one of the few places that said yes to AV.
“I think it’s a bit fairer as a system so I voted yes, although I am happy to contest elections under any system. My wife Val voted no so we cancelled each other out.
“Now that the no vote has won there is a danger that it will set back electoral reform for a generation.”
As reported in Saturday’s Mail, it needed two recounts before the Oxford result was declared, with 21,693 voting Yes and 18,395 No – with a turnout out of 37.9 per cent.
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