362 THE ALTERNATE VOTE. 



and on the next sheet print extracts from a paper by Professor 

 E. J. Nanson, of Melbourne, which describes the only wav in 

 which this vote can be effectively applied. 



2. We shall consider this matter first where there are three 

 candidates, or where a committee has to select the best of three 

 applicants for any post, a matter of daily occurrence. As the 

 methods and rules are exactly the same whether a large Parlia- 

 mentary constituency is electing one member from three candi- 

 dates, or a small every-day business committee is selecting one 

 official from three applicants, we may keep the latter more fami- 

 liar matter before our minds. 



3. To secure the selection of the applicant, who in the opinion 

 of the majority of the committee is the most fit for the post, every 

 member of committee must express, after marking his vote, his 

 preference as to the other two applicants ; he must signify to 

 which of them he would wish his alternate vote to be given, in 

 the event of the applicant he has voted for being excluded or 

 eliminated. This alternate vote is only used under these 

 circumstances. 



4. We shall see that the original vote does not necessarily 

 show which of the three applicants is in the opinion of the 

 majority of the committee the most fit for the post ; and, that 

 under the methods usually employed, it is possible for this best 

 man to be thrown out at the first count. If he is not thrown out 

 at the first count, his superiority easily secures his election, when 

 he and the third applicant are left in the field. 



This, the retaining in the field of the man who is in the opinion 

 of the majority of the committee the best man, is the essential 

 point. Nanson proves clearly that his method does this,, 

 and that the seven usual methods, which he describes, do not 

 ensure this ; though one of them, the Venetian method, under 

 certain circumstances does so (12). 



6. Some of these methods count only the first vote, taking in 

 the first count no cognizance of the preference for the better of 

 the remaining applicants ; others count this preference, and put it 

 on an equality with the original vote. Nanson 's method and 

 Borda's method allow, quite properly, a higher value for the 

 original vote than for the alternate vote, or second preference in 

 the first count; and Borda's method just fails, by the selection of 

 the man with the greatest number of votes, in place of the exclu- 

 sion of the man with the fewest votes (12), (15), (16), (20), (22). 



7. I shall use the expression " best man," for the applicant 

 who in the opinion of the majority of the committee is most fit 

 for the post ; for the highest candidate or applicant. 



Glance for one moment at the state of matters when there are 

 only two applicants : if " P," one of those applicants, secures 

 the votes of three out of a committee of five, he has more than 

 half, or an absolute majority, which at once secures his selection. 



If when there are three candidates one of them secures one 

 more vote than half the votes, he is evidently the best man. If 

 " P " got three votes, and " Q " and " R " each only one vote, 

 " P " is evidently better than each of them, and so would be 



