Our voting system uses a Single Transferable Vote, which is a great way to make your vote count. In short, it means you can rank the list of candidates based on your order of election preference.
Our voting system uses a Single Transferable Vote, which is a great way to make your vote count. In short, it means you can rank the list of candidates based on your order of election preference. If no candidate is elected in the first round, the candidate with the lowest score is excluded and the count is redone using the second preference (if there was one) for every voter who put the excluded candidate down as first preference. This is then repeated until a single candidate has more than 50% of the votes.
What is the Single Transferable Vote?
You can rank the list of candidates in order of preference, and you don't have to rank them all! Simply rank as many as you wish, and your vote will be passed down the ranks until a candidate is elected. When the results are calculated, all voters' first preferences are counted and if a candidate has more than 50% of the ballot they are considered the winner. If no candidate has above 50%, then the candidate with the lowest score is excluded and the count is redone using the second preference (if there was one) for every voter who put the excluded candidate down as first preference. This is then repeated until a candidate has the necessary number of votes to win.
Why is it important to rank the candidates?
This is the best way to make your vote REALLY count and ensure that in the instance of your first choice candidate being excluded, your vote will still go to someone whose policies you support and believe in. It's a quick and simple way to use your voice and contribute to electing Officers that will best represent the student body.
Great, now when can I vote?
Voting is open now!! You can read each candidate's personal statement to gain an understanding of their key points and what they hope to achieve if elected. If you're on campus, you may even catch some in person campaigning and be able to ask any questions you may have! You can vote via our elections page on the website. Voting closes 10.00am on Wednesday 13th March, so don't miss your chance to have your say!