Questions and Answers on STV

 

What is the Single Transferable Vote?

The Single Transferable Vote (or STV) is an electoral system that produces proportional representation while at the same time giving voters more choice and a clear link with their representatives.  

 

Why the Single Transferable Vote?

Although each voter has only a single vote, the voters can list, in order of preference, those candidates they would like to support.

 

What does a transferable vote mean?

If the candidate who is your first choice receives more votes than he or she needs to be elected, the surplus votes will be transferred to your second choice. If, in turn, that candidate has more votes than are needed, then the surplus is again transferred to the next preferences as indicated by the voters. However, if the candidate who is your first choice has so few votes that he or she does not have enough support to be elected, your vote will be transferred to your second choice. Similarly, if that candidate also does not have enough support, your vote will be transferred to your third choice, and so on.

 

How do I fill in an STV ballot paper?

Instead of putting a cross or tick next to your favourite candidate, you put a ‘1’ against your first choice of candidate and can then put a ‘2’ against your second choice, a ‘3’ against your third choice and so on for as many candidates on the ballot paper as you want.

 

What if I want to vote for only one candidate?

Your favourite candidate will not be disadvantaged if you list other preferences: these preferences will only be used if your first choice candidate is either safely elected or eliminated. You can, if you wish, show support for only one candidate, but the more candidates for whom you do show preferences, the more likely your vote will influence the outcome of the election.

 

How are votes counted in an STV election?

The first step is the calculation of the number of votes which candidates must receive to be elected. This is called the ‘quota’. Ballot papers are then sorted according to voters’ first choices. Candidates with at least the quota are then declared elected. The surplus votes (the number of votes over the quota) of these candidates are then transferred to other candidates according to voters’ second choices.

 

If not enough candidates have been elected, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated. That candidate’s votes are then transferred to the (unelected) candidates marked as the next choice by the voters. The transfer of surpluses and the elimination of candidates continue until the required number of candidates has been elected.

 

Why must several councillors be elected together?

Several candidates must be elected together if voters who support different parties are to be represented fairly. If only one were elected from each constituency, only one view or party could be represented.

 

What is the difference between STV and ‘proportional representation’ (PR)?

There are many systems of PR. STV is just one of them. Most PR systems are designed to give each party representation that reflects how many votes have been cast for that party. STV will give this PR of political parties, but STV can also produce proportional results in other ways. For example, if half of the electors decided to choose women candidates, then roughly half of those elected would be women; STV allows voters to choose between candidates put forward by the same party.

 

Is STV more or less proportional than other PR systems?

STV could be as proportional as any other PR system. The more candidates elected in each council ward, the more proportional the result would be. STV is more sophisticated than other PR systems in that it takes account of voters’ lower ranking choices of candidates, and not just their first choices, in producing a representative outcome.

 

What is a multi-member constituency?

At present, constituencies are represented in parliament by just one MP. Under a Single Transferable Vote system, each constituency is represented by a small group of representatives: six in the Northern Ireland Assembly, three or four in Scottish local government wards). This makes it possible for representatives of different parties to be elected in each ward, thus allowing more people to have representatives of the parties of their choice. It also gives electors a choice of who to approach should they require assistance or wish to raise an issue.

 

How do STV’s multi-member constituencies affect the link between representatives and those they represent?

In England and Wales most councillors are elected from multi-member wards. In a survey conducted in 2003, more than five out of six councillors in multi-member wards thought their links with their electors were at least as strong as in single-member wards: half thought their contact with ward electors was better than it would have been if they were in single member wards.

 

STV can make the links between representatives and electors even stronger. With STV more people will have a representative for whom they voted, or at least of their preferred party.

 

In Ireland the parliament is elected using STV. Politicians have twice held referendums in hope of changing the system because it makes them feel too accountable to their voters, but twice the voters have rejected their demands and retained the stronger links which STV provides.

 

How does STV affect independent candidates?

With STV voters vote for candidates – not for parties (although many may select candidates on the basis of their party affiliations). This can be to the advantage of independent candidates. Moreover, many who vote for candidates of their favourite parties may decide to support independent candidates by ranking them higher in their list of preferences rather than candidates of rival parties.

 

Has STV been used in the UK before?

Yes. It was used to elect the Scottish Education authorities until 1929 when the responsibilities of these authorities were transferred to local councils. It was also used in the ‘university seats’ at Westminster until they were abolished in 1950.

 

In 1973 STV was re-introduced to Northern Ireland for local council elections, and it is also used for European Parliament elections in the province and for elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

 

STV is also used by a wide range of voluntary and professional organisations and trade unions. In 2002 STV was recommended by the Sunderland Commission for local elections in Wales and in 2004 it was also recommended by the Richard Commission for the Welsh Assembly.

 

What other countries use STV?

STV has been used for all elections in the Republic of Ireland since independence from Britain. It is also used in Malta and Tasmania, and is used for the election of the Australian Senate. In New Zealand a number of local councils use STV and in October 2004 STV was also used for the first time for all District Health board elections.

 

How easy is STV to understand?

Any system requires rules to cover all eventualities, and the rules for STV counts need to go into more detail than for ‘first-past-the-post’ elections. However, the general principles of STV are easy to understand, and it is simple for voters.

 

Do STV counts take longer than counts for the old voting system?

Although STV is a simple system for voters, counting an STV election has more stages and therefore takes more time. This is one reason why Scotland’s first STV local government elections will now be counted using computers.

 

Why is STV considered better than other PR systems?

There are several reasons, but the principal ones are:

- STV allows voters to vote for candidates rather than parties (unlike the system used for the European Parliament elections and for the regional lists of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly);

- STV allows voters to make choices between candidates of the same party;

- STV will give broadly proportional results, not just by party but by any other criteria which significant numbers of voters use in casting their votes;

- STV eliminates the need for tactical voting and ensures that as many votes as possible contribute to the election of councillors.