please empty your brain below
I think your coverage has been great DG.
And I've never understood the numbered preference voting system now in use for many elections. The result can surely vary according to the order in which the papers are counted?
No - *all* the #1 votes are counted, the losing candidates are eliminated, and then all the #2 votes of people who voted for the losing candidates as #1 are counted... and so on.
"Actually I wondered after the event, can you put the tick for the same candidate in both columns?"
You can, but it doesn't make a blind bit of difference compared to just ticking the first column for them - the only situation where your second vote will be counted is if your first choice candidate has already been eliminated, in which case a second vote for them is obviously useless.
"There is a sore need for a "none of the above" box on our ballot papers."
Hmm. I've never voted in a seat that was just Labour vs Tory - even if you refuse to protest-vote for the Liberals, there's almost always a selection of comedy loonies you can vote as a clear-and-obvious protest.
Single\\_Transferable\\_Vote")?
Having said that, London Elects tells me that "The polling station finder is currently unavailable". I would imagine it'll be back tomorrow!
All first preferences are counted, then all but the top two are eliminated, then the supliementary votes of those who did not vote for someone in the top two are counted.
It's a bit perverse in that if candidate A gets 1001 first preferences and 1 second preference, candidate B gets 1000 first preferences and 3 second preferences and candidate C gets 999 first preferences and 150,000 second preferences - Candidate B wins.
This election has shown more than ever why pluraity FPTP (who ever has the most, wins) is the best system - because people understand it!
(and the point of my link above - while ostensibly on STV, also has all the other forms of voting, incuding PR, in its many guises, down the side)
(dg writes: Answer via the links in the post)
Happy May Day, DG. Off to vote, & looking for Morris dancers (round here they tend to fall off the bonnet!)
The National Front? Really? Deary me.
.I have to say though that your coverage of the local elections has been superb, DG. Now I'm just wondering whether it'll be Ken or Boris...
Bit late to do anything about it now, I suppose, but next time I'd tell them not to do that, thanks very much.
Although I expect, if they were really sneaky, they could work out who voted by correlating the barcodes on the back of the ballot papers with the the other lists...
Fingers crossed for anyone but BoJo.
Firstly, Postal Votes are hardly ever counted - which is why you can hand them in at a polling station. (The logic follows in a tick).
Secondly, it would indeed be possible to take a completed Ballot Paper and match it back to the voter's Poll Number; to *actually* do so would require the authorisation of a High Court Judge. For this reason they are kept secure away from the cast ballot papers. Recording the voter's Poll Number is a simple cross-check to help validate the total numbers of Ballot Papers issued on the day in Polling Stations; nothing more or less.
Part of the role of the Returning Officer is to determine, before the count starts, how many ballot papers were issued in advance (as postal votes) and on the day (and cast into a Ballot Box at a Polling Station) -
When the votes (from the Ballot Boxes) are initially counted, these are compared with the total of all papers issued on the day. If the totals of votes recorded for all candidates equals the total of ballot papers issued, the candidate with the greatest number of votes may be declared the winner. If the total number of votes counted does not tally with the the total number of papers issued and the difference between them would affect the outcome then the candidates can ask for a re-count. This may continue as many times as it takes to tally all the votes cast with the total number of Ballot Papers issued.
At this point you have reached an agreement as to how the Great British Public cast their votes on the day. The number of postal votes is known; if they are less than the difference between the top two candidates there is simply no need to count them. The Tellers are thus saved the enormous task of opening all those envelopes and counting yet more ballot papers. However, if the total number of postal votes is greater than the difference between the top two candidates then out come the letter openers and your carefully cast postal vote is counted.
To avoid extra ballot papers being dropped into a Ballot Box (difficult as it stands in full view of the officials) or introduced by a dishonest Teller at the count, all the Ballot Papers are punch marked - this is simply another check that the Ballot Paper was 'official'. The method of counting and having people appearing to wonder around aimlessly at the count is to provide opportunities for candidates to check that only 'official' Ballot Papers have been counted.
All rather logical when you think about it.
netball coach - you're less cynical than me. How else than by comparing numbers on ballot papers to numbers on lists do the 'government' get their 'secret' lists of all known supporters of certain 'parties' (eg BNP)? (use of barcodes and other electronic technology will just make the process easier in future)
I voted for a minority left candidate in the first choice, knowing that my second vote for Ken will go to him at the second stage. Why don't I vote for Ken first of all? It's my protest vote, not to make the leftie candidate feel better, with my 0.0000001\\% of the vote!
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