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► Election Methods
Swansea University Students Union employs three electoral methods in its democratic procedures – the Alternative Transferable Vote method (ATV), the Single Transferable Vote method (STV) and First Past the Post (FPP).
Alternative Transferable Vote (ATV)
Alternative Transferable Vote (ATV) is a system of preferential voting designed to minimize wasted votes and provide proportional representation while ensuring that votes are explicitly expressed for individual candidates. ATV is employed as the electoral method when selecting one person for one position - i.e.// a Sabbatical officer or an Executive member. The system might look complicated but its dead simple really. Basically it means that rather than a simple cross or tick you number the candidates in order of preference for each individual office – check out the following example:
i.e. there are four candidates for President:
Bagpuss
Danger Mouse
Basil Brush
RON (RE-OPEN NOMINATIONS)
This voter has put Danger mouse as their first preference, Basil Brush as their second, Bagpuss as their third and RON as their final preference.
Unless a candidate gets a straight 50 + 1 average then the Alternative Transfer System comes into play.
Then the votes for the candidate who has received the least number of votes are taken and they are checked to see who was the second choice given on these ballots, these votes are then distributed to the other candidates. If this leads to a candidate gets a gaining a straight 50 + 1 average then the transfer of votes ends there. If not, then the situation is repeated with the candidate with the least votes being transferred to their third preference. This continues until there is a straight 50 + 1 average.
Thus in the case of the vote for Danger Mouse if he came last, and there was no outright winner this vote would be then transferred to Basil Brush, if this did not lead to an outright win it along would be transferred to the third choice (Bagpuss).
Single Transferable Vote (STV)
Single transferable Vote (STV) is a system of preferential voting designed to minimize wasted votes and provide proportional representation. They way it works is similar to the Alternative Transferable Vote method and is employed by SUSU to elect several representatives to attend conference. Ie – up to four can be elected for NUS Wales Conference and up to seven for NUS UK conferences.
First Past The Post
The First Past the Post electoral method is used for SUSU Referenda and it is the simplest system of voting and counting votes. In this system the option with the highest number of votes is upheld though on many referenda there is a condition that a two thirds majority is required for this to happen. This is the case when changes are proposed to the Articles of Governance, or a motion of No Confidence is laid against a Sabbatical Officer, a co-opted trustee or a member of the Executive. Changes to political and campaign policy and annual affiliations are passed by simple majority.
