Legal Definitions - single transferable voting

Single transferable voting (STV) is an electoral system designed to achieve a form of proportional representation. This means that the number of seats a political party or group wins in an election closely reflects its overall share of the votes cast. In an STV election, voters do not just choose one candidate; instead, they rank candidates in order of their preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on) within multi-member constituencies (districts that elect more than one representative).

The system works by first determining a quota of votes needed for a candidate to be elected. If a candidate receives more first-preference votes than this quota, their surplus votes are transferred to the voters' next preferred candidates. Similarly, if a candidate receives very few votes and is eliminated, their votes are also transferred to the voters' next preferences. This process of electing candidates and transferring votes continues until all available seats are filled, aiming to minimize wasted votes and ensure that a broader range of views and groups are represented in the elected body.

• Example 1: Local Council Election

  Imagine a city council election for a district that needs to elect three representatives. Voters in this district are presented with a ballot listing candidates from various political parties and independent groups. Instead of picking just one, each voter ranks their choices, perhaps putting "Candidate A" as their first preference, "Candidate B" as their second, and "Candidate C" as their third. If Candidate A, who is very popular, receives significantly more first-preference votes than the quota required to win a seat, their excess votes are not simply discarded. Instead, these surplus votes are distributed to the voters' second-preference candidates (like Candidate B) indicated on those ballots. This mechanism ensures that even if a voter's first choice is overwhelmingly popular, their vote still contributes to electing another representative, potentially from a different party or an independent, thereby maximizing the impact of their ballot.

• Example 2: University Student Union Election

  Consider an election for a university's student union executive board, where five positions are open to represent the diverse student body. Students from different faculties (e.g., Engineering, Arts, Business) and various interest groups (e.g., environmental club, sports society) are running for these positions. Using STV, students can rank candidates across these diverse groups. For instance, a student might rank an environmental club candidate first, an engineering student second, and a sports society candidate third. If the top-ranked candidate from the environmental club easily wins a seat with many first-preference votes, their surplus votes might then transfer to the engineering student candidate who was the voter's second choice. This process helps ensure that the final student union board reflects the university's diverse student body more accurately, preventing one dominant group from taking all the seats and ensuring representation for various student interests.

• Example 3: Professional Association Board Election

  A national association for healthcare professionals is electing seven members to its governing board. The association's membership includes doctors, nurses, therapists, and administrators, each with unique professional perspectives and regional concerns. With STV, members can rank candidates who represent different specialties or geographical regions. For example, a member might rank a candidate specializing in pediatrics first, a candidate representing rural nurses second, and a candidate from the administrative sector third. If a highly popular doctor candidate secures a seat with many first-preference votes, their surplus votes could then transfer to the nurse or therapist candidate who was ranked second or third by those same voters. This system helps ensure that the final board has a balanced representation of the various professional groups and viewpoints within the association, rather than being dominated by one particular specialty or region.