OBSERVATIONS ON THE WORKING RESULTS 

 OF THE HARE SYSTEM OF ELECTION IN 

 TASMANIA. 



BY 



R. M. Johnston, F.L.S. 



The chief Merit of the Have System. 



The deep interest taken in all matters relating to the Hare 

 system of voting and counting at the recent elections in Hobart 

 and Launceston is indicated by the large number of queries 

 put to the writer during the last three months. It is curious, 

 however, that the large body of enquirers and critics restrict 

 their attention mainly to questions relating either to the mode 

 of voting, or to the mode or modes adopted for determining 

 the quota-excesses ; but, most of all, the general attention is 

 restricted to obscure details of no importance concerning the 

 infinitesimal influence of the element of chance still unelimi- 

 nated by the Tasrnanian Clark-Hare method provided for 

 the transfer and distribution of the quota-excess of the 

 second order.* 



This unfortunate restriction is equivalent to a representation 

 of the play of Hamlet with the part of the Prince of Denmark 

 cut out. 



The Hamlet of the Hare system, as a whole, is not the 

 mere mode of preference and transfer vote to which general 

 attention is too often restricted. The latter aids are important 

 no doubt, but of themselves they can only be regarded as 

 valuable accessories of the Hare system. The keystone of the 

 Hare system, upon which commonly too little or no attention 

 is directed, is the Hare-constitution of large electoral divisions. 

 Without the latter all the nice arrangements of first, second, 

 third, &c, preferences, and transfer of quota-excesses and 

 lowest excluded candidate votes, would be a cumbrous farce. 

 With the former secured, together with even the ordinary one 

 man one vote principle, the results attained would be such an 

 improvement upon methods hitherto prevailing that they would 



* That is, on all quota-excesses obtained after the first count by the aid of 

 transfer ballot-papers. Those quota-excesses which are produced by the 

 distribution of the first count alone are treated differently by our law, and 

 for the sake of reference and distinction are here designated quota-excesses 

 of the First Order. 



