The NSW Commissioner, in refusing to publish the detailed below the line preference data files, has cast doubt over the electoral process. If public confidence is to be restored the preference data files must be published and readily available for independent public review.
Australian should be very concerned about the lack of transparency in the NSW election. Was there unfair manipulation of the election results?
The system of counting the upper house vote in NSW is seriously flawed with a random selection of ballot papers determining the result. This system should have been abolished long ago as it does not accurately represent the voters intention.
There is little wonder why Colin Barry, NSW chief Electoral Commission refuses to publish the below the line preference data files as it would highlight the flaws in the system, Flaws that he and the NSW parliament should have addressed.
Colin Barry's refusal to publish the data is now the subject of an FOI request and a complaint to the Information Ombudsman. The Commissioner's failure to ensure that the electoral system is open and transparent has raised questions as to the property of the election count itself. One ask what is it that he has to hide and why has he refused to make the data files public?
The Australian Electoral Commission and the Victorian Electoral Commission have all published the below the line preference data files. Why not NSW?
The NSW Electoral Commission's web site has little to desire. Colin Barry clearly has done little to improve NSW procedures. One has to again question the value and need for State ElectoralCcommissions, They clearly lack expertise and professionalism.
A quick read of schedule 6 of the NSW Election Act shows just how distorted and seriously flawed the NSW election system is. This would have to be one of the worst electoral codes in Australia.
Sixth Schedule Conduct of Legislative Council elections
(Sections 16, 22A)
Part 1 System of election
1 At a periodic Council election, the whole of the State of New South Wales shall be a single electoral district for the return of 21 Members of the Legislative Council.
(1) At a poll for a periodic Council election, a voter shall be required to record his vote for 15 candidates and no more but shall be permitted to record his vote for as many more candidates as he pleases, so as to indicate in such manner as may be provided by law the candidates for whom he votes and the order of his preferences for them.
(2) Notwithstanding sub clause (1) of this clause, a ballot-paper on which the voter has recorded not less than 15 votes is not informal by reason only that:
(a) the same preference (other than his first preference) has been recorded on the ballot-paper for more than 1 candidate, but the ballot-paper shall be treated as if those preferences and any subsequent preferences had not been recorded on the ballot-paper, or(b) there is a break in the order of his preferences, but the ballot-paper shall be treated as if any subsequent preference had not been recorded on the ballot-paper.
3 For the purpose of a periodic Council election, 2 or more candidates may, in the manner provided by law, be included in a group in such order as may be determined by them.
Part 2 Counting of votes at elections
4
(1) In this Part of this Schedule:
continuing candidate means a candidate not already elected or not excluded from the count.Council returning officer means the person for the time being appointed by law to conduct periodic Council elections.
(2) In relation to any stage of the scrutiny, a reference in this Part of this Schedule to the surplus votes of an elected candidate is a reference to the number at that stage by which the elected candidate’s votes exceed the quota, reduced by the excess, if any, of the number at that stage of the elected candidate’s votes on which a next available preference for a continuing candidate is not indicated over the quota.
5 The method of counting the votes to ascertain the result of a periodic Council election shall be as provided in this Part of this Schedule.
6 At the close of the poll the Council returning officer shall ascertain the total number of first preference votes recorded for each candidate on all ballot-papers not rejected by him as informal and the total of all such votes.
7 The Council returning officer shall then determine a quota by dividing the total number of first preference votes for all candidates by 22 and by increasing the quotient so obtained (disregarding any remainder) by 1.
8 Any candidate who has received a number of first preference votes equal to or greater than the quota so determined shall be elected.
9 Where the number of first preference votes received by a candidate is equal to the quota, the whole of the ballot-papers containing those votes shall be set aside as finally dealt with.
10 Unless all vacancies have been filled, the surplus votes of each elected candidate shall be transferred to the continuing candidates, in proportion to the voters’ preferences, as follows:
(a) The Council returning officer shall divide the number of the elected candidate’s surplus votes by the number of first preference votes (excluding any first preference votes indicated on ballot-papers which do not bear a next available preference for a continuing candidate) received by him and the resulting fraction shall, for the purposes of this clause, be the transfer value of that candidate’s surplus votes.
(b) The Council returning officer shall take all of the ballot-papers of the elected candidate on which a next available preference is indicated for a continuing candidate and arrange them in separate parcels for the continuing candidates according to the next available preference indicated on them.
(c) The Council returning officer shall ascertain, from the parcel referred to in paragraph (b) in respect of each continuing candidate, the total number of ballot-papers of the elected candidate which bear the next available preference for that continuing candidate and shall, by multiplying that total by the transfer value of the elected candidate’s surplus votes, determine the number of votes to be transferred from the elected candidate to each continuing candidate.
(d) If, as a result of the multiplication, any fraction results, so many of those fractions, taken in the order of their magnitude, beginning with the largest, as are necessary to ensure that the number of votes transferred equals the number of the elected candidate’s surplus votes shall be reckoned as of the value of unity and the remaining fractions shall be ignored.
(e) The Council returning officer shall then determine the number of ballot-papers to be transferred from the elected candidate to each continuing candidate.
(f) The Council returning officer shall then, in respect of each continuing candidate, forthwith take at random, from the parcel referred to in paragraph (b) containing the ballot-papers of the elected candidate which bear the next available preference for that continuing candidate, the number of ballot-papers determined under paragraph (e) and transfer those ballot-papers to the continuing candidate.
(g) The ballot-papers containing the first preference votes of the elected candidate which have not been transferred (that is, the ballot-papers containing the number of votes equal to the quota) shall be set aside as finally dealt with.
(1) When the surplus votes of all elected candidates have been transferred to the continuing candidates as provided by clause 10, any continuing candidate who has received a number of votes equal to or greater than the quota shall be elected.
(2) Unless all the vacancies have been filled, the surplus votes of the elected candidate shall be transferred to the continuing candidates in accordance with the provisions of clause 10, but, in the application of those provisions, only those ballot-papers which have been transferred to the elected candidate from a candidate previously elected shall be taken into consideration.
(1) If, as a result of the transfer of the surplus votes of a candidate elected in pursuance of clause 11 or elected at a later stage of the scrutiny, a continuing candidate has received a number of votes equal to or greater than the quota, he shall be elected.
(2) Unless all the vacancies have been filled, the surplus votes of the elected candidate shall be transferred to the continuing candidates in accordance with the provisions of clause 10, but, in the application of those provisions, only those ballot-papers which have been transferred to the elected candidate from the candidate or candidates elected at the last preceding count shall be taken into consideration.
13 The ballot-papers containing the first preference votes of a candidate who has been elected in pursuance of the provisions of clause 11 or 12, together with the ballot-papers transferred to him from a candidate previously elected or excluded which have not been further transferred, shall be set aside as finally dealt with.
14
(1) If, after the transfer of the surplus votes of the elected candidates, no candidate has, or less than the number of candidates required to be elected have, received a number of votes equal to the quota, the candidate who has the fewest votes shall be excluded and the whole of his ballot-papers shall be transferred to the continuing candidates next in order of the voters’ available preferences.
(2) If thereupon, or as the result of the exclusion of a candidate at any subsequent stage of the scrutiny, a continuing candidate has received a number of votes equal to or greater than the quota, he shall be elected.
(3) Unless all the vacancies have then been filled, the surplus votes of the elected candidate shall be transferred to the continuing candidates in accordance with the provisions of clause 10, but, in the application of those provisions, only those ballot-papers which have been transferred to the elected candidate from the candidate last excluded shall be taken into consideration.
(4) The ballot-papers containing the first preference votes of the elected candidate, together with the ballot-papers transferred to him from a candidate previously elected or excluded which have not been further transferred, shall be set aside as finally dealt with.
(5) If no continuing candidate has then received a number of votes equal to the quota, the process of excluding the candidate with the fewest votes and the transferring of ballot-papers containing those votes to the continuing candidates shall be repeated until a continuing candidate has received a number of votes equal to the quota or, in respect of the last vacancy, a majority of the votes remaining in the count, but the process of excluding candidates shall not be repeated after the number of continuing candidates is equal to the number of unfilled vacancies.
(6) A ballot-paper that under this clause is, pursuant to the exclusion of a candidate, required to be transferred to a continuing candidate shall be set aside as finally dealt with if it does not indicate a next available preference for a continuing candidate.
15 After all the candidates who have received a number of votes equal to the quota are elected:
(a) where there is 1 remaining unfilled vacancy—the candidate who has received a majority of the votes remaining in the count, or
(b) where the number of continuing candidates is equal to the number of remaining unfilled vacancies—those candidates,shall be elected.
16 Where, on the count of the first preference votes, or at the same time at any subsequent stage of the scrutiny, 2 or more candidates are elected by reason of their having received a number of votes equal to or greater than the quota, any transfer of the surplus votes of those candidates shall be carried out in the order, first of the candidate with the largest surplus, second of the candidate with the next largest surplus and so on.
17
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Part of this Schedule, a transfer of the surplus votes of an elected candidate shall be deferred (but without affecting the order of that transfer) so long as the total number of those surplus votes and any other surplus votes not transferred is less than the difference between the total votes of the 2 continuing candidates with the fewest votes.
(2) In any such case, unless all vacancies have been filled, the candidate with the fewest votes shall be first excluded and the ballot-papers containing his votes shall be transferred to the continuing candidates as provided in clause 14 (1).
18
(1) If, on any count, 2 or more candidates have an equal number of votes, and 1 of them has to be excluded, the candidate whose name is on the slip drawn in accordance with sub clause (4) of this clause shall be excluded.
(2) If, at the time of their election, 2 or more candidates have an equal number of votes that is more than the quota, the candidate whose name is on the slip drawn in accordance with sub clause (4) of this clause shall, for the purposes of clause 16, be deemed to have had the larger or largest surplus.
(3) If, on the final count for filling the last vacancy, 2 candidates have an equal number of votes, 1 candidate shall be excluded in accordance with sub clause (1) of this clause and the other shall be elected.
(4) For the purposes of subclauses (1) and (2) of this clause, the names of the candidates who have an equal number of votes having been written on similar slips of paper by the Council returning officer and the slips having been folded by him so as to prevent the description being seen and having been mixed, 1 of those slips shall be drawn at random by him.
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