Single Transferable Vote: The Rising Star in Modern Democratic Elections

The Evolution of Democratic Voting

The Single Transferable Vote (STV), a form of proportional representation created in Britain, ensures that the mix of opinions in parliament matches the strength of their support in the country, while maintaining representatives’ strong connection to their local area.

Current Implementations and Developments

The system has gained significant traction, currently being used in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Malta, Scotland, and Australia for various elections. In a notable recent development, India implemented STV for its Vice-Presidential election on September 9, 2025, where the system is being used to elect the Vice President through an Electoral College of both Houses of Parliament using a secret ballot.

How STV Works

STV operates as a proportional representation voting system utilizing preferential voting in multi-member constituencies. Candidates need only achieve a specific ‘quota’ of votes to be elected, calculated by dividing valid votes by the number of positions plus one. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their votes can be transferred to other candidates as the count proceeds and candidates are either elected or eliminated.

Benefits and Impact

The system is considered more representative and inclusive than alternatives, offering voters greater choice and reducing the power of political parties to determine election outcomes. One of its key advantages is that fewer votes are ‘wasted’ on losing candidates or unnecessary winners, allowing most voters to identify a representative they helped elect, which increases accountability.

Recent Developments

In a recent implementation, the Victoria University Students’ Association adopted STV following a March 2025 by-election review that addressed vote-splitting concerns. The change was approved for its ability to provide ‘more accurate representation’ of voter interests, mitigation of wasted votes, and its representative qualities.

Future Outlook

The system’s growing popularity is attributed to its elimination of safe seats, which forces candidates to remain engaged with constituents. It prevents the most disliked candidates from winning, as they’re unlikely to receive lower-preference votes, and significantly reduces negative campaigning by encouraging candidates to seek both first and lower-preference votes.