BY E. L. PIESSE, B.SC, LL.B. 69 



1913. 



to the unexcluded candidate next in the order of the voter's 

 preference, shall be repeated until one candidate has an 

 absolute majority of votes. 



5. Every ballot-paper, not rejected as informal, shall be 

 counted in every count until it becomes exhausted, when it 

 shall be rejected in all further counts. When a candidate is 

 excluded, any ballot-paper counted to him shall be deemed to 

 be exhausted if there is not indicated upon it a consecutive 

 preference for one unexcluded candidate. 



6. If on any count Two or more candidates have an equal 

 number of votes and One of them has to Ije excluded, the 

 returning oflBcer shall decide which is to be excluded, 

 and if in the final count two candidates have an 

 equal number of votes, the returning officer shall decide by 

 his casting vote which shall l)e elected, but otherwise no 

 returning officer shall vote at any election. 



Method of Counting Votes where more than One Member 

 has to be Returned for a District. 



1. The number of first choices recorded for each candidate 

 shall be counted, and all informal voting-papers shall be 

 rejected. 



2. The aggregate number of such first choices shall be 

 divided by one more than the number of candidates required 

 to be elected, and the quotient increased by one, disregard- 

 ing any remainder, shall be the quota, and (except as herein- 

 after provided in Rule 10) no candidate shall be elected until 

 he obtains a number of votes equal to or greater than the 

 quota. 



3. Any candidate who has, upon the first choices being 

 counted, a number of such votes equal to or greater than the 

 quota shall be declared elected. 



4. Where the number of such votes obtained by any candi- 

 date is equal to the quota, the whole of the voting-papers 

 on which a first choice is recorded for such elected candidate 

 shall be set aside as finally dealt with. 



5. Where the number of such votes obtained by any candi- 

 date is in excess of the quota, the proportion of votes in excess 

 of the quota shall be transferred to tlie other candidates not 

 yet declared elected, next in the order of the voters' respect- 

 ive preferences, in the following manner: — 



I. All the voting-papers on which a first choice is 

 recorded for the elected candidate shall be re-exam- 

 ined, and the number of second choices, or (in the 

 case provided for in Rule 12) third or next con- 

 secutive choices, recorded for each unelected candi- 

 date thereon shall be counted : 

 II. The surplus of the elected candidate shall be divided 

 by the total number of votes obtained by him on the 

 counting of the first choices, and the resulting frac- 

 tion shall be the transfer value : 



III. The number of second or other choices, ascertained 



in paragraph i. to be recorded for each unelected 

 candidate, shall be multiplied by the transfer value: 



IV. The resulting number, disregarding any fractional 



remainder, shall be credited to each unelected can- 

 didate, and added to the number of votes obtained 

 by him on the counting of the first choices. 



