STV (Single Transferable Vote) + analysis

3 places STV is used

1. NI Assembly

2. NI local gov’t

3. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 local gov’t

Logistics

1. Voter ranks each candidate

2. First preferences counted and any candidates that reached the Droop quota are elected

3. Their additional votes then counted according to subsequent preferences, elected if reach Droop quota

4. If no one reaches the Droop quota, the candidate with the fewest votes has their votes redistributed in order of preference and they’re eliminated etc. until all seats filled

NI Assembly constituency composition

• 18 large, multimember constituencies

  • 5 seats per constituency

    • Parties normally put forward 3 candidates

2021 NI Assembly election proportionality + 2 consequences

• V. close correlation between % of votes and % of seats

  • All votes of equal value

  • Less incentive to vote tactically

2011 — number of ballot papers rejected as spoilt

• 12 000+

2016 — number of ballot papers rejected as spoilt

• 9425

  • Mainly due to mismarked ballots

  • Due to introduction of new ballot paper style

Number of rejected ballots in STV -x that of FPTP Westminster elections

More than 2x

2017 — NI Assembly election turnout

• 64.8% (highest since first assembly election in 1998)

% of respondents to the electoral commission’s survey found their ballot paper easy to fill in

95%

Proprotionality/party representation — 1 evaluative point

4.5/5

• Use of Droop quota enhances proportionality

Voter choice — 3 evaluative points

4.5/5

• Each voter gets as many votes as there are candidates, and these are almost never wasted as are still redistributed to another candidate of their choice

• Can place as many or as few votes as they wish

• All votes are of equal value and there’s less incentive to vote tactically

• However, there is an issue with spoilt ballots

• Has had hugely positive effects on turnout

Strong and stable govt — 1 evaluative point

2/5

• The reason STV is used in NI is because it does not produce a majority (to prevent Unionists or Nationalists ruling alone)

Majorities in Stormont

• No single party has held an outright majority in Stormont

Constituency-voter link — 2 evaluative points

3/5

• Size of multi-member constituencies weakens the relationship between elected representatives and their local area

• Due to multi-member constituencies, voters are more likely to ahve an elected representative who shares their ideology/beliefs