Legal Definitions - single transferable voting

Definition: Single Transferable Voting (STV) is a type of proportional representation electoral system. It allocates legislative seats to political groups based on their popular voting strength. STV is designed to ensure that each group is represented in proportion to its numbers in the electorate.

Example: Let's say there are 100 seats in a legislative body and three political groups: A, B, and C. In an STV system, voters rank their preferred candidates from each group. If Group A receives 40% of the vote, Group B receives 30%, and Group C receives 30%, then the seats are allocated accordingly. Group A would receive 40 seats, Group B would receive 30 seats, and Group C would receive 30 seats.

This example illustrates how STV ensures that each political group is represented in proportion to its popular voting strength. It also shows how voters have the ability to rank their preferred candidates, which can lead to more diverse representation in the legislative body.