502 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION G 



The first paper is filled in to represent the vote of a supporter 

 of the Labour party, who gives his individual preferences for 

 Findley first, then Barker, and lastly Blakey. The second paper 

 shows the vote of a man who gives his ''party" vote to the 

 Liberals and his preferences in the following order: Trenwith, 

 McCay, Best. Lastly, the third paper sliows the vote of an elector 

 who gave his "party" vote and highest "individual" vote to 

 Miss Goldstein, and his remaining individual votes to Messrs. 

 Barker and Blakey, of the Labour party. 



Now consider the work of the electoral officer. The first thing 

 to do is to count the " party " votes and see how many Droop 

 quotas the respective parties have. At present in Australia there 

 are two dominant parties, and there is no third party existing 

 now, or at all likely to exist in the immediate future, v/hich has 

 any chance of securing a Droop quota in one of the proposed 

 massed electorates. We may take it as certain, therefore, that 

 any independent candidates would fail to get the quota — con- 

 sidered as a party — on the first count. This was the fate of all 

 the real independent candidates at the last election, where most 

 of them forfeited their deposits. The " party " votes of these can- 

 didates would then be transferred by the electoral officer to either 

 the Liberal or Labour party. The following possible combinations 

 of individual votes in the V^ictorian Senate election might arise 

 (amongst those who gave " party " votes to independents) : — 



{a) Independent, 1; Liberal, 2. 



(6) Independent,!] Labour, 2. 



(c) Independent, 2; Liberal, 1. 



{d) Independent, 2; Labour, 1. 



(e) Independent, 1; Liberal, 1; Labour, 1. 



The party which is to get the " party " vote of the rejected 

 independent candidate is determined by the combination of the 

 "individual" vote. In the cases {a) and {d) the "party" vote 

 goes to the Labour party; in the cases (h) and (c) it goes to the 

 Liberal party; in case («) it goes to the party which secures in- 

 dividual vote No. 2. Take, for example, the third ballot-paper, 

 which was discussed. The " party " vote is for Goldstein and the 

 " individual " votes for Goldstein, Barker, and Blakey, in the 

 order named. The elector has shown a distinct partiality for the 

 principles of the Labour party by giving " individual " votes to 

 Messrs. Barker and Blakey. The " party " vote, therefore, is 

 transferred to the Labour party, and the individual votes given 

 to Messrs. Barker and Blakey retained by them, to help them in 

 securing the seats which are finally allotted to the Labour party. 



Lastly, when the number of seats is equitably allocated between 

 the two parties, according to the nnniV>er of Droop quotas polled by 



