- Voters each cast a single preferential ballot, in a single voting round, rating the candidates according to the given voter’s first, second, third, and so forth preferences.
- The ballots are evaluated in multiple counting rounds. In each round:
- For each candidate above above the threshold — using a weighting algorithm based on the number of ballots above the threshold — we reallocate ballots to other candidates according to voters’ subsequent choices; otherwise
- For each candidate beneath the election threshold — having the fewest ballots — we reallocate their ballots to other candidates according to voters’ subsequent choices.
Notes
- The first general observation is that, as for IRV / AV, a ballot’s full list of preferences is not necessarily used.
- While STV is often called a PR approach, there is no mechanism here to allocate seats proportional to party standings. It’s Multiple Representation (MR), but not PR.
- Votes are cast for individuals (who might or might not be identified with a given party), and are not explicit votes for a party. This keeps the elected representatives fundamentally responsible to the voters, NOT their respective parties.
Condorcet Alternative
We can also use Condorcet/Ranked-Pairs as a multi-member system, to elect, say, n members:
- We take the n most-preferred candidates from the Condorcet/Ranked-Pairs outcome.
- There’s no “weighting” calculation, no “surplus” votes to be reallocated anywhere, and no progressive elimination.
- In one fell swoop we identify — and elect — the required number of members, having holistically considered all preferences from all ballots.
Next: Condorcet/Ranked-Pairs
