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Eliminating candidates

  • 28-02-2011 2:05pm
    #1
    Daftendirekt
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,312 ✭✭✭


    After doing some reading and research to get my head around the PR-STV system I think I'm finally beginning to grasp it.

    There was one thing that puzzled me during the count, though. Hopefully someone can shed some light.

    It was my understanding that if no one reached the quota during a count, the lowest scoring candidate was eliminated. Why then, are multiple candidates sometimes eliminated on a single count? I'm thinking specifically of the Laois-Offaly constituency, where Michael Cox and John Boland were both eliminated on the first count, but I think it happened elsewhere as well (Dublin South-East?).

    I'm assuming it's done to speed up the counting process, but how is the number of candidates that can be eliminated determined? Is there a threshold the candidate must exceed to be safe from elimination (such as a quarter of the quota or something along those lines)?


Comments

  • #2
    paul71
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,326 ✭✭✭paul71


    2 candidates can be eliminated if the votes of the lowest could not posibly bring the 2nd lowest above the 3rd lowest.


  • #3
    Pherekydes
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,202 ✭✭✭✭Pherekydes


    paul71 wrote: »
    2 candidates can be eliminated if the votes of the lowest could not posibly bring the 2nd lowest above the 3rd lowest.

    2 or more candidates can be eliminated if the sum of their combined votes is less than the next lowest candidate.


  • #4
    seamus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    As Paul 71 says, it's up to the returning officer really.

    If the candidate with the most votes needs 1,000 votes to reach the quota and the candidate with the lowest votes has less than 1,000 then it's not mathematically possible for anything to change if they only eliminate the lowest candidate, so they eliminate another candidate to bring it up.

    Likelihoods also have to be looked at - if the highest candidate needs 1,000 votes and the lowest candidate has 1,010 votes, then it's extremely unlikely that the highest candidate will get 1,000 transfers from that, so they may eliminate another candidate.

    Edit: The guys above are more correct. You can eliminate as many candidates as will not affect the standings at the end of the next count. So if the guy in second-last place is definitely going to be last at the end of the next count, then you can eliminate him too. But if there's a chance that he could bump above into second-last place again, he can't be eliminated.


  • #5
    Daftendirekt
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,312 ✭✭✭Daftendirekt


    Cheers, that makes sense!


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