A COMPARISON OF MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS UNDER 

 THE PRESENT SYSTEM AND UNDER THE 

 TRANSFERABLE VOTE. 



By John Brown, M.D., CAL, F.R.C.S., L.R.C.S.E. 



SYNOPSIS. 



1. Object of election of Municipal Councillors. 



2. Pretoria Municipal election of 1909. 



3. Purpose of present paper: a comparison of the two systems of 



voting. 



4. The voter's work in each system. 



5. The voter's position as to representation. 



6. Cause of the rare failure to secure representation. 



7. How the transferable vote secures true representation and equal 



sectional representation through the quota - 



8. Illustrative example of the plan of finding the quota. 



9. Working of the transferable vote at Pretoria in 1909. 



10. The relative majority and the absolute majority. 



11. An extreme case showing possible results of present plan. 



12. Actual and possible results with more than two candidates. 



13. Limitation of choice of candidates with the present system, 



14. Opportunity for faddists under the present plan. 



15. Danger of personal antagonisms for candidates and voters. 



16. Danger of undue influence for local needs and wishes. 



17. The election of one member in a small constituency is the chief 



cause of all the present drawbacks. 



18. Canvassing, conveyance to the poll, undesirable voters now deter- 



mine the result of the election of one of two candidates. 



19. Limitation of candidates from unsatisfactory conditions of 



election. 



20. Present apathy largely due to present method of election. 



21. Three members, the minimum for election by the transferable 



vote. 



22. This secures true representation. More efficiency got with more 



members. 



23. The transferable vote promotes combined action of candidates. 



24. The transferable vote obviates the present drawbacks. 



25. Percentage of voters on the roll who voted at Cape Town and 



Pretoria. 



26. Effect of the transferable vote on the voter. 



27. Effect of the transferable vote on the councillor. 



28. Effect of the transferable vote on the candidate. 



t. In the election of a Municipal Council or any other repre- 

 sentative body, the object aimed at is the representation on the 

 Council of the voters. 



2. Since 1909 at Pretoria the citizens have enjoyed the 

 advantages due to the use of the transferable vote, or as the 

 Australians £all it, "effective voting. 



At the first trial of this system, which was entirely new to 

 them, there were thirteen candidates from whom six members 

 of Council were to be chosen. 



