Proportional Representation. 



47 



tributing the surplus of P and S. All surplus is now dis- 

 tributed, and the election is completed in two more §teps, 

 shown in Table (e). V, being the lowest, is excluded. His 



t«) 



Q 



R 



T 



U 



V 



58 



58 



33 



29 



21 



8 



13 











— 



66 



71 



33 



29 



— 



24 



38 



— 



— 



— 



90 



109 



— 



— 



— 



21 papers are transferred to Q, R, as shown in the second row 

 of Table (e). We now notice that the two lowest, T, U, 

 having only 62 votes between them, whilst the next lowest 

 has 66, may both be excluded. This being clone, the 

 fifth row shows E to have 109, which is more than the 

 quota, so that the election now terminates with the election 

 of R. 



We have now to consider what is to be done if any of the 

 numbers Al, Bl, &c., be greater than the quota. If any 

 such cases occur, they afford a simplification of the process 

 previously described. For if Al, Bl, be each greater than 

 the quota, the whole of the parcels A P, A Q, &c, B P, &c, 

 can be at once transferred to P, Q, &c, and no selection is 

 necessary. Let us now consider how such cases can arise. 

 It is plain that electors may decline to indicate more than 

 one name, or, as it is commonly expressed, they may 

 " plump." If, then, A has more than a quota of plumpers, 

 the case in question will occur. But it may also occur in 

 other and much more likely ways. 



Suppose, for instance, that more than two quotas of 

 electors vote only for A and B, then if at least one quota 

 vote for A, and at least one quota vote for B, the case in 

 question will occur ; and similarly for a larger number of 

 candidates. It is obvious that in all such cases votes would 

 be lost; and in order to obtain proportional representation as 

 nearly as possible, these lost votes should be withdrawn from 

 the election, and a new and smaller quota obtained for filling 

 the remaining vacancies, if any. 



