SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE SYSTEM FOR ACHE ELECTIONS

VALID VOTES CAST divided by NUMBER OF SEATS VACANT ON BOARD

=  QUOTA

BALLOT FORM LISTS ALL CANDIDATES WITH A BOX BESIDE EACH NAME

INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS – NUMBER EACH CANDIDATE IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE, BY WRITING A NUMBER IN THE BOX

EXAMPLE – SAMPLE BALLOT FORM

CANDIDATE – ANN ALICE                           [ 4 ] (FOURTH PREFERENCE)

CANDIDATE – BOB BROWN                        [ 5 ] (FIFTH PREFERENCE)

CANDIDATE – CAROL CAT                          [ 1 ]  (FIRST PREFERENCE)

CANDIDATE – YVES YI                                  [ 3 ]  (THIRD PREFERENCE)

CANDIDATE – ZEPHYR ZENON                 [ 2 ] (SECOND PREFERENCE)

VOTE COUNTING

ANY CANDIDATE WHO REACHES THE QUOTA OF FIRST PREFERENCE VOTES IS DECLARED ELECTED.

ANY “SPARE” (OVER THE QUOTA) FIRST PREFERENCE VOTES RECEIVED BY CANDIDATES DECLARED ELECTED ARE TRANSFERRED TO THE VOTERS’ SECOND PREFERENCES.

ANY CANDIDATE WHO REACHES THE QUOTA WITH A COMBINATION OF THEIR OWN FIRST PREFERENCE VOTES RECEIVED, PLUS THE SECOND PREFERENCE TRANSFERS TO THEM, IS DECLARED ELECTED.

IF VACANCIES STILL REMAIN, THE CANDIDATE WITH THE LOWEST NUMBER OF FIRST PREFERENCE VOTES IS ELIMINATED, AND THEIR FIRST PREFERENCE VOTES ARE TRANSFERRED TO THE VOTERS’ SECOND PREFERENCES.  IF THEIR SECOND PREFERENCE IS ALREADY DECLARED ELECTED, THEIR VOTES ARE TRANSFERRED TO THEIR THIRD PREFERENCE AND SO ON.

IF VACANCIES STILL REMAIN, THE CANDIDATE WITH THE NEXT LOWEST NUMBER OF FIRST PREFERENCE VOTES IS ELIMINATED, AND THEIR FIRST PREFERENCE VOTES ARE TRANSFERRED TO THE VOTERS’ SECOND PREFERENCES.  IF THEIR SECOND PREFERENCE IS ALREADY DECLARED ELECTED, THEIR VOTES ARE TRANSFERRED TO THEIR THIRD PREFERENCE AND SO ON.

THIS CONTINUES UNTIL THE NUMBER OF REMAINING (NON-ELIMINATED) CANDIDATES MATCHES THE NUMBER OF REMAINING VACANCIES.  THE REMAINING CANDIDATES ARE THEN DECLARED ELECTED.

VOTE COUNTING PROCEDURE

FIRST:  Set up four folders:

Unusable (spoiled) votes – with no usable candidate preference shown e.g. more than one candidate marked with an x rather than a number, no candidates etc.

One-shot votes – with only one candidate preference shown, with a number or other mark

Incomplete votes – with more than one, but not all, candidate preferences shown, by number

Complete votes – with all candidate preferences shown, by number

Hopefully the vast majority will be complete votes, and only a very small number of other votes.

SECOND:  As votes come in:

Check each vote for completeness and correctness and allocate to one of the four folders.

THIRD:  When vote casting time limit is reached:

Count the total number of all votes that are not unusable.

Divide this number by the number of vacant positions available.

The resulting number is the QUOTA.

FOURTH:  Set up a folder for each candidate and allocate votes as follows:

First, all “one-shot” votes are allocated to each candidate – these votes are non-transferable as they do not show a second preference, and so are used up first.

Second, all incomplete votes are allocated to each candidate – as they have limited transferability due to an incomplete number of preferences, they are used up next.

Third, all complete votes are allocated to their first preferences, until a candidate’s votes reach the QUOTA.  At that point, that candidate is declared elected, and all subsequent first preference votes for that candidate are allocated to their second preferences, until another candidate reaches the QUOTA.  This proceeds until sufficient candidates are declared elected.

If all votes have been allocated, and there are still vacancies remaining, then the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the next preferred candidates listed on the votes, until either all vacancies are filled, or the eliminated candidate’s votes are all distributed.  If after the distribution, there are still vacancies, the candidate with the next lowest number of votes is eliminated, and their votes re-allocated.

This continues until all vacancies are filled.