On May 5, you will be able to say whether you think the UK should change the way it select its MPs.
You will be asked whether you want the country to stick with the first past the post system, or to change to the alternative vote (AV). The vote is only the second UK-wide referendum, and its result will be binding on the Government.
Mercury political correspondent David MacLean looks at what it means, and what could change.
QWhat will this referendum decide?
AIt will decide how our votes are counted when we elect Members of Parliament.
QWho can vote in it?
AAll UK voters will be able to have a say.
QWhy is it taking place?
AAs part of negotiations which led to the forming of the coalition government, there was an agreement to hold a binding referendum on how we vote in the UK.
The Liberal Democrats want the country to change to AV. Their position is backed by parts of the Labour Party.
The Conservatives and other parts of the Labour Party are in favour of keeping the current system.
QWhat are the differences between the two systems?
AUnder first the past the post, people vote for one candidate. The candidate who gets the most votes wins. It does not matter what proportion of the votes they get.
Under AV, people rank candidates in their order of preference.
A candidate must get at least 50 per cent of the votes cast to win.
People's second, third and fourth choices, and so on, are counted until someone gets 50 per cent.
QTell me more about how AV works
AInstead of a single cross, people use numbers on their ballot paper to rank candidates in order of preference. Your preferred candidate would be marked as number one, your second as two and so on. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they wish.
QWhat happens then?
AThe first preference votes for all candidates are counted up. If one candidate has won more than half of the first-preference votes they are elected. However, if nobody gets more than half the votes, the candidate with the fewest first preference votes is eliminated.
The second preferences of the people who voted for the eliminated candidate are then counted.
This process continues with third and fourth preferences, and so on, until one candidate has more than 50 per cent of the vote.
QSo why do some people want us to change to AV?
APro-AV campaigners say that under the current system, some MPs can be elected with around 30 per cent of the vote.
They argue that means they were chosen by only a minority of voters, and that the majority of votes cast did not count.
They add the current system therefore favours complacent candidates who do not need to work to command the support of the majority of voters, leading to too many safe seats and fewer hard-working MPs.
Campaigners say that under AV, candidates need to work harder to reach out beyond their core voters to gain the support of more people.
They say AV gives people a bigger say in who wins, even if their first preference is not selected.
QAnd why do some people want to keep first past the post?
ASupporters of first past the post say it is simple and fair, is well tried and tested, gives everyone one vote and delivers a clear outcome.
They say AV is a complicated and unfair system that gives some people more votes than others, and maintain the winner of an election should be the person who comes first in a single round of voting.
They also say AV would be likely to lead to more frequent coalition governments and more backroom deals.
People opposed to AV also claim – although it has been denied – that councils would have to spend millions of pounds on electronic vote counting machines because the system is so complicated. A voter education programme would also have to be launched.
QDoes anybody use AV now?
AOpponents to AV point out three countries use the system. They are Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
Supporters of AV say many political parties, unions and organisations use the system for their internal affairs, including both Labour and the Conservatives.
QIf votes say they want the UK to change to AV, when would it be introduced?
ANot until the next election, due to happen in 2015.
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