STV

Single Transferable Vote - STV

This is the Electoral Reform that the Citizens' Assembly of Electoral Reform (BC) recommended to the Citizens of British Columbia in 2005 - BC-STV.

In most DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZATIONS there are elections for the different officers and leaders of the ORGANIZATION - Co-ops, Unions, Political Parties to name a few ORGANIZATIONS. The usual quota of votes one needs to be elected is 50% +1. In large ORGANIZATIONS reaching this 50% +1 mark is not often achieved in the 1st Ballot. This failure to achieve 50% +1 requires a 2nd Ballot where everyone votes again - the person with the least votes on the 1st Ballot is dropped from the 2nd Ballot. On the 2nd Ballot the voters that had voted for the candidate on the 1st Ballot with the least votes, votes again with their candidate taken from the ballot and now votes on the remain candidates. If no candidate achieves 50% +1 on the 2nd Ballot the process is repeated until one candidate reaches 50% +1 and is declared the WINNER.

I have participated in Union Elections where we have had to go to 3 Ballots or more to declare a WINNER. It is the normal process in the DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM. You cannot have a LEADER with less than a MAJORITY of supporters. IT IS NOT A COMPLICATED PROCESS.

PROBLEM;

The PROBLEM is how do we bring this time consuming process to the larger picture of ELECTING A GOVERNMENT. It is not very practical to have a number of BALLOTS to elect a government. IT IS SIMPLY NOT DO ABLE. I believe that it is this problem that made the FPTP so popular, drop the necessity of the 50% +1, and pick the one with the MOST VOTES end of story.

STV;

Single-Transferable-Vote resolves this PROBLEM. The first thing STV does is to re-establish the quota of 50% +1 in order to WIN a seat in government. Now how do we get to this 50% +1 in a single ballot?

With the FPTP the voter simply made an "X" beside their candidate and put it in the box. STV is different here in that, instead of marking a "X" beside your candidate you mark a "1", but you are not done yet. You look at the rest of the candidates and decide who you would support if your #1 candidate was not running and you mark that candidate with a "2" and repeat this for another candidate that you mark with a "3". You can mark all the candidates with a number indicating the priority of the candidates.

When all the "1" votes are counted and no candidate has received the 50% +1 the candidate with the least votes is dropped. The ballots that had "1" on the dropped candidate are recounted and their "2" is added to the balance of candidates. This process continues until one of the candidates had achieved 50% +1 of the votes cast.

This process does what the 3 or more Ballots does in other ORGANIZATIONS with only one ballot. It also means that each elected official will have the support of the MAJORITY OF VOTERS. If I was running for office I certainly would feel better knowing I had the Majority of my district supporting me.

Issue;

I can imagine some may ask about someone who only wants to mark "1" and support just one candidate. The obvious question is if just marking "1" would be considered a "Spoiled Ballot". I think this is a minor issue and one that can be worked out. Myself I would not consider it a "Spoiled Ballot" as such, I would count the "!" but if that candidate is knocked off and I go to his "2" and their is no "2" the ballot would just be thrown out. I would think it was a silly thing not to mark "2" but people do silly things. To mark his whole ballot as "Spoiled" is also silly, with the "1" mark we know his initial support and should honor that.