There are two electoral systems applicable for local authority elections; STV (single transferable vote) and FPP (first past the post).
District Health Boards must use the STV system. City and district councils can use either system. The decision as to which system they will use is determined by the elected members by resolution and/or the electors of the district. A poll on which system is to be used may be held by the council or may be demanded by the electors of the district. The result of the poll is binding.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council resolved to retain the FPP voting method and advertised this decision in accordance with legislation. No demand for a poll was received by eligible voters within the statutory time period and therefore the Council will use the FPP electoral system.
Using the FPP Voting Method
The elector puts a tick beside the candidate/s most preferred. The number of votes you are permitted is based on the number of positions available for that ‘issue’. When the votes are counted, the candidate/s with the most vote/s is elected.
Using the STV Voting Method
The elector ranks the candidates in order of preference. This is done by putting a 1 next to the name of the candidate most preferred. The next preferred candidate the elector would put a 2 beside and so on. The process is the same no matter whether there is one vacancy or several.
When votes are counted, all first preferences (1s) are allocated first. A candidate must reach a ‘quota’ which is based on the number of vacancies and the number of valid votes to be elected. If there is more than one vacancy and a candidate gets more votes than the quota, a proportion of each vote for that candidate is transferred to the voter’s second preference. If as a result another candidate gets more votes than the quota, a proportion is transferred to the third preferences etc and so on, until enough candidates reach the quota to fill all the vacancies.
For more in-depth information on the STV and FPP voting methods, contact the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) or visit this specialist area within their website: www.stv.govt.nz
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