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PROPORTIONAL
REPRESENTATION SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA |
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Tel +613
9589 1802 |
Tel +61429176725 |
18 Anita Street |
BEAUMARIS VIC 3193 |
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2009-06-22 |
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Copyright ©
Proportional Representation Society of Australia 2008 The copyrighted Rules below appear on PRSA’s
website for the purpose of counting ballots under these Rules, and
are to be accessed for that purpose only. The Proportional Representation
Society of Australia prohibits copying of the Rules, except under a written
licence from it. The Rules appear in the Proportional Representation Manual,
purchasable as shown below. See also PRSAV-T Inc’s Elections and Vote-counting Services. (The Society's
copyrighted Proportional Representation A3 Counting Sheets, and its
copyrighted Proportional Representation Manual, which contains the formal
Rules below, together with an Introduction, an Explanation of the
Quota-Preferential Method, Two Examples of Completed Counting Sheets
and comments on them, plus Hints on Counting, and a blank Counting Sheet, can
be purchased here) RULES OF THE
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA FOR CONDUCTING ELECTIONS
BY THE QUOTA-PREFERENTIAL METHOD 1. The quota 1.1 The number of first preferences indicated for each candidate
shall be counted and recorded and all voting papers which contain no clear
indication of a first preference shall be rejected as informal. 1.2 In these rules, the words "voting paper" shall be
read as including a record of a voter’s preference by means, approved
by the organization conducting the election, other than writing on a voting
paper. 1.3 The aggregate value of the first preferences, expressed as the
number of whole votes, or as the number of thousandths of a vote, shall be
divided by the number exceeding by one the number of vacancies to be filled
and the whole number next above the quotient or result shall be the quota,
and throughout the counting, values shall be recorded in whole votes or
thousandths of a vote according to the manner in which the aggregate value of
the first preferences was expressed. 2. Surpluses
arising from counting of first preferences 2.1 Any candidate who has a number of first preferences of value
equal to or greater than the quota shall be recorded as elected. 2.2 If the value of the first preferences recorded for any
candidate is equal to the quota, the whole of the voting papers on which a first
preference is indicated for him shall be set aside as finally dealt with. 2.3 If the value of the first preferences recorded for any
candidate is greater than the quota, then, except where Rule 3 is applied,
the surplus over the quota shall be transferred to the other candidates not
yet recorded as elected in the following manner: 2.3.1 The voting papers with first preference
indicated for the elected candidate shall be re-examined and, for each
unelected candidate, the number of these voting papers on which he is
indicated as preferred to any other unelected candidate shall be counted and
recorded. 2.3.2 If the total value of the voting papers
recorded according to Rule 2.3.1 is greater than the surplus, the surplus
shall be divided by the number of these voting papers and the result shall be
the transfer value, provided that if the values are being recorded in
thousandths of a vote any fraction in the result may be discarded. But if the
number of voting papers with no further preference indicated is so large that
the total value of the voting papers recorded according to Rule 2.3.1 is less
than or equal to the surplus, the transfer value shall be the full value of
the voting paper. 2.3.3 The number of voting papers recorded for
each unelected candidate according to Rule 2.3.1 shall be multiplied by the
transfer value and in each case, the whole number remaining after any
fraction in the result is discarded shall be credited to the unelected
candidate and added to the value previously recorded for him. 2.3.4 If more than one candidate has a surplus,
the surpluses shall be transferred in order of size, beginning with the
largest, and, if two or more surpluses are equal, the Returning Officer shall
decide by lot which surplus shall be transferred first. 3. Optional
deferment of transfer of surplus The
transfer of a surplus may be deferred if that surplus, together with every
other surplus not transferred, is less than the difference between the quota
and the highest progress total of any unelected candidate and is also less
than the difference between the lowest progress total and the progress total
next above it. 4. Surpluses arising from transfer 4.1 If
the progress total of a candidate is raised up to or above the quota by the
transfer of a surplus, he shall be recorded as elected, and no other voting
papers shall be allotted to him after this transfer is completed. 4.2 f
the progress total of a candidate is raised up to but not above the quota by
the transfer of a surplus, the whole of the voting papers allotted to him
shall be set aside as finally dealt with. 4.3 If
the progress total of a candidate is raised above the quota by the transfer
of a surplus, then, except where Rule 3 is applied, his surplus shall be
transferred to the unelected candidates in the following manner: 4.3.1 The voting papers allotted to the elected candidate in the last
transfer shall be re-examined, and,
for each unelected candidate, the number of these voting papers on
which he is indicated as preferred to
any other unelected candidate shall be counted and recorded. 4.3.2 If the total value of the voting papers recorded according to
Rule 4.3.1 is greater than the surplus, the surplus shall be divided by the number
of these voting papers and the result shall be the transfer value, provided
that if the values are being recorded in thousandths of a vote any fraction
in the result may be discarded. But if the total value of these voting papers
is less than or equal to the surplus, the transfer value shall be the value
at which the voting papers were allotted to the elected candidate. 4.3.3 The
number of voting papers recorded for each unelected candidate according to
Rule 4.3.1 shall be multiplied by the transfer value and, in each case, the
whole number remaining after any fraction in the result is discarded shall be
credited to the unelected candidate and added to his progress total. 4.3.4 If
more than one candidate has a surplus, the surpluses shall be transferred in
order of size, beginning with the largest, provided that no surplus shall be
transferred before a surplus that arose earlier in the counting whether
larger or not, and if two or more surpluses arising from the same transfer
are equal, the surplus of the candidate whose progress total was highest when
they last had unequal totals shall be transferred first, and if their
progress totals were never unequal, the Returning Officer shall decide by lot
which surplus is transferred first. 5. Exclusion 5.1 If, after the transfer of all surpluses except any deferred
according to Rule 3, any vacancies remain unfilled, the candidate whose
progress total is lowest shall be excluded, and all voting papers allotted to
him shall be distributed, each continuing unelected candidate being allotted
those papers on which he is indicated as preferred to any other continuing
candidate, and credited with their value. 5.2 The voting papers with first preference indicated for the
excluded candidate shall first be allotted, each at its full value. 5.3 The
other voting papers of the excluded candidate shall then be allotted in the
order of the transfers in which, and with the values at which, they were
allotted to him. 5.4 Each
allotment of voting papers according to Rules 5.2 and 5.3 shall be regarded
as a separate transfer in the application of Rule 6.1. 5.5 If
it becomes necessary to exclude a candidate and two or more candidates have
equal progress totals lower than any other progress total the one whose
progress total was lowest when they last had unequal totals shall be excluded
first, and if their progress totals were never unequal, the Returning Officer
shall decide by lot which candidate shall be excluded first. 6. Surpluses arising from exclusion 6.1 If the progress total of a candidate is raised up to or
above the quota by any transfer of the voting papers of an excluded
candidate, he shall be recorded as elected, and no other voting papers shall
be allotted to him after this transfer is completed. 6.2 If
the progress total of a candidate is raised up to but not above the quota by
any such transfer, the whole of the voting papers allotted to him shall be
set aside as finally dealt with. 6.3 If
the progress total of a candidate is raised above the quota by any such
transfer, then, except where Rule 3 is applied, his surplus shall be
transferred to the continuing candidates in the manner specified in Rule 4.3, but this surplus shall not be
transferred until all voting papers of the excluded candidate have been
allotted. 6.4 Except
where Rule 3 is applied, any such surplus shall be transferred before any
other candidate is excluded. 7. Completion
of counting The process of excluding the candidate with the lowest
progress total, and allotting his voting papers and crediting their value to
continuing candidates shall be repeated, and any surplus, except where Rule 3
is applied, transferred, until all vacancies are filled or until the number
remaining unfilled is equal to the number of continuing candidates, in which
case these continuing candidates shall be recorded as elected. * * * * * * * * * |
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