2CJO TRANSFERABLE NOTE AT MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. 



ful minority votes nor useless majority votes, but each member 

 is elected on receiving what is called the quota — that is, the 

 smallest number that will ensure the election of a member. 



In this way we have equal sectional representation of every 

 section of the voters, large enough to give a candidate a quota. 

 We have one vote, one value, every vote is used that can be 

 counted, and each member gets the same number of votes, and 

 all voters who choose receive representation. 



8. Let us look once more at our illustrative case of 51 voters 

 and three members. We can divide 51 votes, into four groups of 

 twelve each, with three votes over; and we thus see very plainly 

 that if three men each got one of these groups and one of the 

 three votes that were over, we would have three men with 

 thirteen votes, and only one group of twelve votes would remain 

 over, which would not be enough to elect another man. So here 

 thirteen is the quota. 



Three equal sections of thirteen voters cam elect three mem- 

 bers from the six candidates ; and even if all the other twelve 

 votes went to one of the three unsuccessful candidates, he could 

 not secure election. Every section of thirteen voters is repre- 

 sented by one member, and each vote is equal to one-thirteenth 

 of the quota. 



If each of the 51 voters marked four choices, everyone of 

 them has secured representation ; and these twelve votes in this 

 case that could not be used will, nevertheless, each contain the 

 name of one of the six elected members marked as one of that 

 voter's choices, and thus all the fifty-one voters have secured 

 representation. 



We got the quota by dividing the number of votes by one 

 more than the number of members to be elected and adding one 

 to the quotient, that is, to the number expressing the result of 

 the division. Just so at the Pretoria election. If we divide 

 2,814 by seven, one more than the six members, we get 402, 

 and adding one we get 403 r and if the six members get each 

 403 votes, that uses 2,418 votes, leaving only 396 votes over, 

 not enough to give another candidate the quota of 403 votes. 



9. At the Pretoria election, following the rules laid down, 

 the surpluses were first distributed, and then the lowest unsuccess- 

 ful candidate was excluded, and his votes distributed ; and the 

 same process was followed till all but seven of the original 

 candidates were left. Five of the seven each got 403 votes, and 

 the sixth had 17 more votes than the last unsuccessful candidate, 

 namely, 367 — only 36 votes less than the quota. 



Thus, in an election with 2,814 voters, only 36 fewer than 

 the greatest possible number of votes that could have been 

 counted were actually used in the election of the six member- ; 

 and only ^j voters of the 2,814 failed to secure representation 

 on the Council, because they marked too few preferences or 

 choices. 



