Alternative Vote

Majority (Alternative Vote Method) in Constitutional Law

From the Comparative Constitutions Project: This majority system is based upon, full, standard, and preferential voting. Accordingly electors are required to number all candidates in order of preference. A candidate requires an absolute majority ie 50% of the formal first preference vote plus one, in order to be elected. Where a candidate does not attain an absolute majority of first preference votes, a process is then commenced where the candidate with the fewest votes in the count is excluded and the ballot papers of the excluded candidate are examined and recounted based on the remaining candidates. This process continues until there is a majority winner.

Alternative Vote (AV) in Election Law

A candidate-centred, preferential, plurality/majority system used in single member districts in which voters use numbers to mark their preferences on the ballot paper. A candidate who receives an absolute majority (more than 50%) of valid first preference votes is elected. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority of first preferences, the least successful candidate is eliminated and his or her votes are reallocated according to the second preference and so on until one candidate has an absolute majority of the valid votes remaining.

Resources

See Also

• Election Law
• Electoral Laws
• Electoral Legislation