IN first-past-the-post (Westminster) votes, you either vote or you don’t. Under the additional member system (Holyrood) you have one vote, but in two parts. You must vote in each to fully vote. You can vote, vote on one part or decline to vote. Under the single transferable vote system (local elections) things become a deal murkier. You have one vote – it is, however, transferable. And that is where things become complicated. You may not actually vote even if you lodged a vote! To ensure your vote counts, you have to complete all possible transfers. If you do that, then your vote will count to the highest candidate on your list, at the point where it is needed.
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Most folk’s votes will count at their first or second options. But we can’t know how many votes will be required to meet the quotient, and that is because it is only calculated after the total number of votes cast is known.
The quotient, Q, is calculated by dividing the total votes cast (T) by the number of seats (S) available plus 1. Then an additional one is added.
Let’s explain that a bit. The votes cast are sorted into piles according to their first choices. The total number of votes is counted. The number of seats is known. The quota is calculated: Q= {T/(S+1)} +1. Any candidate who has achieved more than the quotient is elected. And votes to the equivalent of Q are removed from their pile and allotted to a seat. At the end of round one all candidates meeting quota are elected. The candidate with the least number of votes is removed from the count. Their votes are now transferred to the highest available candidate remaining on their selection. Any candidates still in the vote keep all of their votes, and have all transfers to them added. Those who have left the vote due to being elected have their remaining votes transferred.
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Round Two begins. The process continues until all seats have been elected by meeting quota. Votes that were never used, obviously, do not count and can’t be transferred. But all votes that were not used to elect any of their selections are also discarded. Those who voted through the card, but remain unsuccessful, will exit via the losing pile in the count between the last two candidates being considered.
Under STV you can only be sure your vote fully counted by voting through your card.
Doing less, your vote becomes Schrodinger’s vote. You can’t be sure if you voted or not, until you check to see, even if you know you did cast a “vote”!
It only takes a few seconds longer, why leave yourself the worry?
Brian Kelly
Dunfermline
IN a week dominated by Conservative deception and lies, the latest Scottish Labour leaflet for our council elections shows they are scraping around in the same barrel. There’s no ambiguity about the bold headline – “Money off your bills”. It goes on, “Scottish Labour has a clear plan … our plan would deliver over £1,000 of support…” Nowhere does it explain that the measures to deliver this to voters are entirely beyond the powers of Scottish councils. If all 32 councils were Labour-run it would make not an iota of difference.
The only conceivable way that voters could get this £1,000 is through a Labour government at Westminster. Without doubt, Anas Sarwar knows that the Conservatives are in power and when the next General Election is due. Nonetheless, to win council votes, he is knowingly and shamelessly misleading and exploiting vulnerable people, who are in fear of serious hardship, with a false promise of money which he knows Labour councillors cannot deliver. Despicable.
Robert Farquharson
Edinburgh
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