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► Voting process explained
Voting process explained
Transferable Voting
Voting is done using the transferable vote system. This means each voter can rank all candidates in order of preference – number 1 for their first choice, 2 for their second and so on. If no one gets over 50% of the vote, the candidate with the lowest number 1 votes is eliminated and their votes go to those voters’ 2nd preference and so on. This is important for candidates to know because they should aim to get votes from everyone, even those who are following another candidate.
Re-Open Nominations (RON)
All elections will include RON (Re-open Nominations), which will give voters the option to choose none of the candidates and for that position to be re-opened.
The Voting System
The Alternative Transferable Voting System (ATV) is used in Union elections to elect representatives for positions where only one candidate can win – for example, the Sabbatical, Non-Sabbatical and School Rep posts in the main elections.
Rather than simply marking one solitary 'X' on the ballot paper, voters have the chance to rank the candidates in order of their preference. This way, if their favourite candidate does not get elected, voters’ other preferences can still be taken into account.
Voters thus put a '1' by their first-preference candidate, and can continue, if they wish, to put a '2' by their second preference, and so on, until they don't care anymore or they run out of names.
For each position, a fictional candidate called RON will appear on the ballot paper. RON stands for Re-Open Nominations. Voters can vote for RON in the same way as a real candidate. If RON were to win, none of the real candidates would be elected and the election for that particular post would be re-run in the next Bye-Elections.
Here’s an example ballot paper with preferences:
Wayne Rooney 2
David Beckham 1
Frank Lampard
John Terry 4
RON 3
Here the voter is effectively saying:
“I would like to see David Beckham elected to this position. However if he is out of the running then I would prefer Wayne Rooney to be elected. If he too is no longer available as a candidate then none of the others really impresses me and I would prefer that nominations were opened up again. If that is not going to be possible then I can live with John Terry but under no circumstances do I want Frank Lampard running things”.
As you can see, voters have far more choice by ranking candidates in order of preference rather than just putting a ‘X’ next to one candidate.
Procedure for Counting Votes
12.1 The ballot boxes are unsealed and opened. Votes are separated from the booklets and papers are collated by position.
12.2 At the first stage the voting papers for each position are counted to determine the total vote for each position. Any invalid votes are taken away from this total to find the total number of valid votes for each position.
12.3 Votes are sorted in piles according to voters’ first preferences, and then double checked. A counting slip is completed for each pile with the name of the candidate, the number of papers and the stage number.
12.4 The quota is calculated by dividing the total number of valid votes by half and adding one.
12.5 A candidate who has at least a quota of first preference votes is deemed elected at this stage.
12.6 If no candidate gains a quota through first preference votes, then the lowest scoring candidate is eliminated and his or her second preference votes are redistributed among the remaining candidates.
12.7 Any paper on which no further preference is marked will be set aside as spoilt. This extra number of spoilt votes will reduce the quota accordingly.
12.8 The second preference votes are added to the first preference votes. The processes from 13.6 are repeated with third, fourth etc preferences until someone reaches the quota. The first candidate to reach the quota is elected.
12.9 If two candidates remain but neither of them has reached the quota, the highest scoring candidate will be elected.
12.10 If, when a candidate has to be eliminated, two or more candidates have each the same number of votes and are lowest on the poll, the candidate with the lowest number of votes at the earliest stage in the count, at which the candidates in question had an unequal number of votes, will be eliminated. If two or more candidates are still equal and lowest, the returning officer shall decide which shall be excluded by flipping a coin.
Example Election Count Using ATV
The candidates received the following first preference votes (total of 1,000):
Wayne Rooney 300
David Beckham 250
Frank Lampard 200
John Terry 150
RON 100
If this was a first past the post vote, Wayne Rooney would have won at this stage. But with the Alternative Transferable Voting System votes are transferred based on preferences.
The quota is 501 (1,000 divided by 2, plus 1). No candidate has reached the quota, so the lowest scoring candidate, RON, is eliminated. RON voters’ second preferences will be transferred among the remaining four candidates. Let’s assume 95 of RON’s votes are transferred as below and 5 contain no second preference:
Stage 1
Wayne Rooney 300 +20 =320
David Beckham 250 +60 =310
Frank Lampard 200 +5 =205
John Terry 150 +10 =160
RON 100 Eliminated
Spoilt 5
The quota has reduced to 499 (1,000 votes less 5 spoilt votes, divided by 2, plus 1). Still no candidate has reached the quota. So the lowest scoring candidate, John Terry, is now eliminated. John Terry voters’ next preferences will be transferred among the remaining three candidates. Let’s assume 140 of John Terry’s votes are transferred as below and 20 contain no further preferences:
Stage 2
Wayne Rooney 300 +20 =320 +30 =350
David Beckham 250 +60 =310 +70 =380
Frank Lampard 200 +5 =205 +40 =245
John Terry 160 Eliminated
RON 100 Eliminated
Spoilt 20
The quota has reduced to 489 (1,000 less 25 cumulative spoilt votes, divided by 2, plus 1). Still no candidate has reached the quota. So the lowest scoring candidate, Frank Lampard, is now eliminated. Frank Lampard voters’ next preferences will be transferred among the remaining three candidates. Let’s assume 170 of Frank Lampard’s votes are transferred as below and 75 contain no further preferences:
Stage 3
Wayne Rooney 300 +20 =320 +30 =350 +40 =390
David Beckham 250 +60 =310 +70 =380 +130 =510
Frank Lampard 245 Eliminated
John Terry 160 Eliminated
RON 100 Eliminated
Spoilt 75
The quota has reduced to 451 (1,000 votes less 100 cumulative spoilt votes, divided by 2, plus 1). David Beckham has now exceeded the quota of 451 and is therefore elected.
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