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Counting the ballots
Calculating the quota
To win a seat in the legislature, a candidate must receive
a minimum number of votes - called a quota. This quota is
calculated using the number of valid ballots cast in the riding
as well as the number of MLAs to be elected in that riding.
Counting first preferences
After the polls close, all valid ballots are sorted and counted
according to the first-preference
candidate marked on each.
Eliminating candidates
If no candidate has the minimum number of votes (quota) needed
to be elected, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
All of the eliminated candidate's votes are then redistributed
to the second-preference candidates as marked on each ballot.
Transferring surpluses
It is rare for an elected candidate to gain exactly the quota
of votes required to be elected.
Successful candidates usually receive more votes than needed
to win a seat. Since these
surplus votes are not needed to elect the candidate, they
could be considered wasted.
But, because BC-STV is designed to make as many votes as possible
count fully and fairly,
these surplus votes are redistributed. But which votes should
be selected to redistribute?
To be fair and to ensure vote counting can be precisely repeated,
every ballot cast for the
newly elected candidate is redistributed to the next-ranked
candidate marked on each ballot.
But, not at full value, because a portion of each vote has
already been used to elect a candidate.
The portion of each vote used to give the elected candidate
a quota, stays with that candidate. The unused portion is
transferred. To determine what fraction of the vote should
move on to the next preference, the transfer value is calculated.
So, if a winning candidate has twice as
many votes as needed to be elected, instead of
transferring half those votes at full value, all of the votes
are transferred at half value to the
candidates ranked next on each ballot. The transfer value
in this case is .5 - or ½.
Counting continues until all seats
are filled
Counting continues as follows:
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The surpluses of elected
candidates are redistributed at the appropriate transfer
value; |
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If there are still unfilled
seats and no surpluses from elected candidates to redistribute,
the least popular candidate is eliminated and those votes
are redistributed at full value; |
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This continues until all
seats have been filled. |
By-elections
If a seat becomes vacant between elections, a by-election
is held in that riding to elect a new MLA. BC-STV specifies
that by-elections will use the same type of ballot used in
regular BCSTV elections - called a preferential ballot. If
only one MLA is to be elected, candidates require a majority
of votes (50% + 1) to be elected. If more than one vacancy
is to be filled in a district, the normal BC-STV vote counting
procedures and quota calculation are used.
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