STV (single transferable vote)

Question 1

how does STV work?

Answer 1

• there are 6 seats available, voters will rank their order of preference by placing 1,2,3,4,5,6 beside their names, they can vote for candidates from more than one party if they want to

an electoral quota is then counted, which is when the total number of votes is divided by the number of seats available

after this is calculated, the first preferences for each candidate are counted, any candidates who achieve the quota are elected automatically

the last candidate is then eliminated, and the process repeats with the 2nd, 3rd etc preference until 6 candidates have achieved the quota are elected

Question 2

3 advantages of STV

Answer 2

• gives voters a very wide choice of options
• every vote will count as every vote is redistributed
• helps smaller parties get more recognition

Question 3

3 disadvantages of STV

Answer 3

• voting system can be too complex for voters to understand
• time consuming system
• risk of extremist parties gaining power