Feature Focus: Australian STV Voting (Hare-Clark)

G’day mate! Choosing the right voting system is crucial to ensuring your election results truly reflect the diversity of your voters. While standard preferential voting works well for single-winner elections, organizations filling multiple seats often need a method that minimizes discarded votes. 

That’s why we’re excited to announce that ElectionBuddy now supports Australian STV (Hare-Clark)!

What is Australian STV

Australian STV (Single Transferable Vote) is a proportional representation system used for multi-seat elections. It combines the power of preferential ranking with the Hare-Clark tally method and the Unweighted Inclusive Gregory method for transferring surplus votes. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, ensuring that their vote can still count for a backup choice if their favorite candidate has already won or been eliminated.

How Australian STV Works:

• Ranking - Voters rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference. They place a “1” next to their first choice, and a “2” next to their second, and so on.
• The Quota - To be elected, a candidate must reach a specific “quota”. This is calculated by dividing the total number of votes by the number of available positions plus one.
• Unweighted Inclusive Gregory - If a candidate receives more votes than the quota they are elected. The “surplus” votes are not discarded. Instead, a fraction of every vote held by that candidate is transferred to the next preference on those ballots. 
• Elimination - If no candidate reaches the quota in a round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Their votes are then transferred to the next preferences marked on those ballots.

Example of the transfer calculation: Imagine a quota of 28.75 votes is needed to win. If a candidate receives 45 votes, they meet the quota and have a surplus of 16.25 votes.

Under the Unweighted Inclusive Gergory method, the surplus is distributed to the voter’s next choices. The transfer value is determined by the formula: (Total Surplus Amount) / (Total Number of Ballots Held by Candidate).

Why Use Australian STV 

Australian STV offers powerful advantages for organizations filling multiple vacancies, such as boards and councils. 

• Ensures that groups of voters are represented in proportion to their strength in the electorate. 
• Surplus votes are transferred rather than discarded, which means more voters help to elect the representative.
• Encourages candidates to appeal to a broader base, as first preference candidates aren’t all that matter.

Try Australian STV Today!

Ready to see if Australian STV is the right fit for your next election? It’s easy to set up in ElectionBuddy. Simply select "Preferential" as your voting system and choose "IRV or STV Hare-Clark" to get started.

Learn more about Australian STV.

Want to try for yourself? Register for an account today!