After the polling period ends, run the count to determine the elected candidates.
If your MSL System uses the First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system, as a voter can only vote for one candidate, the candidate(s) with the most votes when you start the count are elected, and the count is complete.
If your MSL System uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV) voting system the count is divided into several stages. In the first stage, the MSL System counts all the votes to determine the total number of votes and sorts them based on their first preferences. After that, the system finds the total number of valid votes and calculates the quota. You should elect any candidate(s) who receive at least the quota of first preference votes at this stage.
Each subsequent stage of the count focuses on either transferring surplus votes of a candidate whose vote exceeds the quota or excluding one or more candidates with the fewest votes. Repeat this process until you have enough candidates who have reached the quota to fill all the places or until the number of candidates left is the same as the number of unfilled places.
Once the count is complete, approve it and publish the results on your MSL website. You can also populate the winners into their posts directly from the Count Details window.
The MSL System supports you in running a count with specific candidates excluded or included. This is useful if you are running a gender-balanced or affirmative action count, or if you need to see the result of a count with a candidate excluded who has had a complaint made against them.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You can access this feature from your MSL System Admin site. Only Super Admins with Election Admins or Site Admins permissions can access the Results windows.
For further information, see Elections Overview.
Election Count Process Flowcharts
Here are some flowcharts showing the basic process of running an election count, whether your MSL System is using the STV or FPTP voting system. To download these flowcharts as PDF files, please navigate to the bottom of this page.
How to Conduct an STV Election Count with a Single Place
For further information, see How to Conduct an STV Election Count with a Single Place
How to Conduct an STV Election Count with Multiple Places
For further information, see How to Conduct an STV Election Count with Multiple Places
How to Conduct a FPTP Election Count
For further information, see How to Conduct a FPTP Election Count
Election Counts Fields
This table lists and explains the Election Counts fields.
| Field Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Organisation | This is the name of the Organisation to which the Election belongs. |
| Title | This is the name of the Election. |
| Type | This is the sort of vote you are running, whether that is a vote for a candidate (an Election) or a vote on a question (a Referendum). This field is displayed only in the Results window. |
| Polling Dates | These are the dates between which votes are submitted. |
| Post | This is the name of the Post added to the Election. |
| Status | This is the stage of the Count to help you see at a glance if there are any outstanding actions. The options are:
This field is displayed only in the Election Counts window. |
| New Count | Select New Count to open the Count Details window for the relevant post with all approved candidates included. For further information, see How to Start a New Count. This field is displayed only in the Election Counts window. |
| New Count With Options | Select New Count With Options to open the Count Options dialog for the relevant post. Here you can specify the number of places available to elect for this count and the candidates to include, regardless of their status. Use this field to help with gender-balanced counts or when you need to see the election result if a candidate(s) were excluded, for example. For further information, see How to Start a New Count With Options. This field is displayed only in the Election Counts window. |
| Counts | This field lists any Count(s) in progress or completed alongside the relevant Post. Also displayed is the status of the count, the date and time the count was run, and the MSL System Admin site username of the Super Admin who ran the count. This field is displayed only in the Election Counts window. |
| View | Click to open the relevant count's Count Details window. For further information, see How to View a Count. This field is displayed only in the Election Counts window. |
| Delete | Click to Delete a count. For further information, see How to Delete a Count. This field is displayed only in the Election Counts window. |
| Stage | This is a step during the election count which could involve:
If you open the Count Details window and the count is still in its first stage, a candidate has already reached quota and can be elected. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Places Remaining | This is the number of candidates you can elect during the Count for the selected Post. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Vote Required for Election | This is the minimum number of votes a candidate must receive to be elected. In the first stage, this is the same as the Quota, but as votes are counted or become inactive, the vote required to be elected will reduce as fewer active votes remain. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Total Active Vote | This is the total number of votes credited to all continuing candidates, plus any votes awaiting transfer. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Total Valid Vote | This is the total number of valid votes (a ballot on which a first or only preference has been expressed). This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Quota | In a Count with a single place, the Quota is the minimum number of votes a candidate must receive to be elected. In a Count with two or more places, any votes a candidate receives above the Quota become surplus votes which you can transfer to another candidate. By default, the MSL System uses the Hagenbach-Bischoff Quota, however, we can accommodate other options. Contact support@ukmsl.com to discuss your requirements. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| New Stage | Click to force the count to the next Stage. New Stages are automatically created as you progress through the count. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Download Results | This field is displayed when all places are filled and the count is complete. Click to download a Results Sheet for the selected Count. The Results Sheet is supplied in Microsoft Excel Comma Separated Values File (.csv) format. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Approve/Populate | This field is displayed when all places are filled and the count is complete. Click to display the Approve Count and Populate Winners dialog where you can Approve the count. You must Approve the count before you can Publish the results on your MSL website. You can optionally add the winners to their post groups, setting effective and expiry dates for the length of the winning candidate's term. This is useful if you want to give the winner permissions for your MSL website. For further information, see How to Approve the Count and How to Add Elected Candidates into Post. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Count Control | Click to open the Count Control window where you can see a continuous note of the total active vote - the vote required for the election of a candidate at any point in the Count. Count Control data is available only when at least one candidate has been elected. For further information, see Count Control Fields and How to View the Election Count Control. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Candidate | This field lists the unique candidate ID alongside the name of each candidate. Click the relevant Candidate linkfield to display the Vote Record window for the selected candidate. The Vote Record window displays the number of papers, the transfer value of those papers, the value received and the current vote credited to the selected candidate at successive stages of the count. For further information, see Vote Record Fields and How to View the Vote Record for a Candidate. This field is displayed in the Candidates section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Current Vote | Displayed next to the relevant candidate, the Current Vote field lists the current vote credited to the candidate. This field is displayed in the Candidates section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Surplus | Displayed next to the relevant elected candidate, the Surplus field lists the amount by which the elected candidate's vote exceeded the quota. This field is only used where there are at least two places. This field is displayed in the Surpluses to Transfer section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Number of Papers | This field displays the Number of Papers of one value in a transfer. The papers are grouped into bundles/ batches of the same transfer value. This field is displayed in the Papers to Transfer section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Transfer Value | Displayed next to the number of papers, this is the value at which a voting paper is transferred from an excluded candidate to a continuing candidate. This field is displayed in the Papers to Transfer section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Result | This lists the stage at which a candidate was excluded or elected. This field is displayed in the Result section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Vote | This is the total number of votes received by the elected candidate. This field is displayed in the Result section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Elected Vote | This is the total number of the elected candidate's votes used for them to meet the quota. This field is displayed in the Result section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Surplus | This is the amount the elected candidate's vote exceeded the quota. This field is displayed in the Result section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Non Transferable Total | Following the exclusion of a candidate when a voter has provided no further available preferences for a continuing candidate, their vote becomes non-transferable. This field is displayed in the Non-Transferable Votes section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Running Total | This is the cumulative sum of non-transferable votes for the relevant stage and all previous values in the non-transferable total column. For example, if at Stage 2 there are 43.00 non-transferable votes, and at Stage 3 there are 54.00 non-transferable votes, the running total of non-transferable votes at Stage 3 is 97.00. This field is displayed in the Non-Transferable Votes section. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Abandon This Count | Click to cancel the count and delete the progress of that count. A count that has been abandoned cannot be resumed. For further information, see How to Abandon a Count. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
| Complete This Count | Click to mark the count as finished and to enable the Download Results and Approve/Populate options. Use this option if, for example, you have more places than candidates, and the count cannot be automatically marked as complete by the MSL System. For further information, see How to Manually Complete a Count. This field is displayed only in the Count Details window. |
Count Control Fields
This table lists and explains the fields on the Count Control window.
| Field Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Elected Candidate | This field lists the unique candidate ID alongside the name of each elected candidate. |
| Stage | This is the Stage at which the corresponding candidate was elected. |
| Votes | This is the total number of the elected candidate's votes used for them to meet the quota. |
| Surplus | This is the amount the elected candidate's vote exceeded the quota. |
| Elected Vote | This is the total number of the elected candidate's votes used for them to meet the quota. |
| Total Vote Less Elected | This is the total number of valid votes minus the number of votes used by the relevant candidate to meet the quota and be elected. |
| Less Non-Transferable Votes | This is the total number of non-transferable votes at the relevant stage of the count. |
| Total Free Votes | This is the total vote, minus votes of elected candidates, minus non-transferable votes. |
| Places Remaining + 1 | This is the place the number of seats needing to be filled + 1. This is to assist you in checking the quota if required. The Hagenbach-Bischoff quota is calculated by dividing the number of total votes by the total places + 1. |
| Vote Now Required for Election | This is the minimum number of votes a candidate must receive to be elected at this stage of the count. This will be less than the original |
For further information, see How to View the Election Count Control.
Vote Record Fields
This table lists and explains the fields on the Vote Record window.
| Field Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Stage | This is the first Stage of the count, followed by any subsequent stages where the selected candidate is credited votes. |
| From Candidate | This is the candidate from which the additional votes were transferred. |
| Number of Papers | This is the Number of Papers of one value in a transfer from an excluded candidate. |
| Transfer Value | This is the value of each paper credited to the selected candidate. |
| Value Received | This is the total value of the papers credited to the selected candidate. For example, if the number of papers transferred is 3, and the transfer value is 0.89, the value received by the selected candidate is 2.67. |
| Current Vote | This is the value of voting papers credited to the selected candidate at the corresponding stage in the count. |
For further information, see How to View the Vote Record for a Candidate.