Single Transferable Vote

How It Works:

  • There are fewer, or possibly only one, electoral districts, within which multiple candidates are elected.

How You Vote:

  • You rank the candidates in your district by preference.
  • Candidates are elected when they cross a designated threshold of votes.

What Happens When A Candidate Passes the Electoral Threshold:

  • When a candidate crosses the electoral threshold after a round of voting, their surplus votes are reallocated to the other candidates based on the next-highest rankings.
  • This process continues each time a candidate crosses the threshold.

What If Candidates Do Not Pass the Electoral Threshold:

  • If no candidate receives enough votes to cross the electoral threshold after the first round of voting, the candidate with the lowest number of first-rank votes is eliminated.
  • The second-rank votes from the eliminated candidate are allocated to the remaining candidates.
  • This continues until the requisite number of candidates receive enough votes to cross the electoral threshold.

What Should I Consider:

  • As there may be as few as one electoral district, the elected candidates may not accurately represent the variety of communities and populations of the Yukon.
  • Candidates run “at large”, meaning they are not only in competition with candidates from other parties, but also their own party. Parties may opt to field fewer candidates in order to better ensure the likelihood of crossing the electoral threshold.
  • The vote counting system is incredibly complex, not only in terms of determining the electoral threshold, but also in determining how “surplus” votes are identified and reallocated. Which of a candidate’s votes are “surplus” and which are part of their threshold total - this question also determines which second-rank votes are reallocated.

 

For more information on the electoral system options for Yukon, please see the report prepared by Keith Archer.

 

Special Committee on Electoral Reform