Legal Definitions - STV

STV stands for single transferable vote. It is a type of preferential vote where a voter ranks their choices in order of preference. Under STV, a candidate wins if they reach a certain number of first-choice votes, called the threshold. If no candidate reaches the threshold, the least-preferred candidate is eliminated and their votes are transferred to the next-preferred candidate on each ballot. This process continues until enough candidates reach the threshold or the number of surviving candidates equals the number of representatives still to be elected.

Example: In a school election, there are five candidates running for three positions. Each voter ranks the candidates in order of preference. After the first round of counting, no candidate has reached the threshold. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are transferred to the next-preferred candidate on each ballot. This process continues until three candidates reach the threshold and are elected.