Call for Guernsey to adopt transferable vote system

Deputy Hadley said the system would mean no votes were wasted

Introducing a system of transferable voting would ensure no votes are wasted at the next election in 2012, according to one Guernsey deputy.

The States of Guernsey is due to discuss proposals to bring in island-wide voting in their February meeting.

Deputy Mike Hadley said an island-wide system of election for the island's 45 deputies would disadvantage anyone standing for the first time.

He said Single Transferable Vote (STV) would allow voters to rank candidates.

Deputy Hadley said: "The benefit is that you don't waste a vote, it more accurately reflects the wishes of the electorate.

Most votes

"That's why it is being adopted by more and more countries, it is used in some of the regional elections in England, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and parts of America."

Currently the island is divided into seven electoral districts, each electing six or seven deputies.

The proposals from the States Assembly and Constitution Committee suggest all 45 deputies are elected island-wide every four years, with every islander being able to vote for 45 different candidates.

In the STV system, instead of marking an X against their chosen candidates the voter puts a 1 for their first choice, a 2 for their second, and so on.

Election is then decided on reaching or exceeding a certain number of votes, known as the quota.

In a series of rounds either the candidate with the most votes is elected or the one with the least number is eliminated.

That candidate's votes are then transferred proportionately to other candidates based on the choices of those who voted for them.

These transfers and eliminations continue until the number of candidates elected is the same as the number of seats.