17.4.2 Voting Systems

 

  1. The first past the post electoral system is used for Auckland Council elections (mayor, ward councillors and local board members) and the five licensing trust elections.

  2. Under this system, a voter ticks the circle next to the candidate they wish to elect; the candidate(s) with the most votes wins [1].

  3. The district health boards are elected using the single transferrable vote (STV) voting system. Under the STV system, a voter ranks as few or as many candidates as he or she likes [2].

  4. First preferences are counted and any candidate whose votes exceed a set amount is elected. If all positions are not filled, the surplus proportion of votes for successful candidates are redistributed among the other candidates according to voters’ preferences. If the positions are not filled, the candidate with the fewest votes is excluded and the second preferences of those who voted for that candidate are counted. This process of redistributing votes continues until all positions are filled. For more information about how STV works, go to http://www.stv.govt.nz/STV/how.htm

 

 

Previous | Next