NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Hokitika Guardian, 24 December 1918, Page 3

NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM

I SYDNEY. December 5. After a hard and somewhat bitter 1 fight between the advocates ol proportional representation and of preferential voting the former won out, and the National Party is now committed to the system so far us this State is. concerned and the State Government has promised to bring the new electoral system into operation in time for the next election. Since this was decided on about half the population of New South Wales has been either suffering headaches or engaged in wild and fruitless argument. 'The trouble lies in the difficult, of explaining the proportonal representation The average man can quickly see that the system is a fairer one than the “first-past the post” arrangement, hut he cannot sec how the admirable result is arrived at. The thing that is difficult to understand, of course, is the single transferable vote. The basis of tne system is “one vote one value. ’ If any candidate gets more than the number of votes necessary to elect him the secomi preference votes on the surplus ballotpaper are distributed among the other candidates. Tf any of them are thus gi\ e© a surplus the third preference votes in the surplus are ‘distributed and so on. If this does not elect the necessary number of representatives the man lowest on the list is wiped out and his second preference votes distributed, followed by his third and fourth pro-, ferenee if necessary. Thus, no vote is wasted. This bare outline is hard enough to follow, but to attempt an mi derstanding of the detanks, with all the complicated calculations necessary to ensure absolute fairness is a horrible experience. The duties imposed on the returning officers by these calculations are almost enough to send the majority of officials fleeing to the woods, or if they would he .thoroughly Australian to bring about a strike.

jt is expected that a commission will he set up to build up out of the States 90 single member electorates a series of three and five member electorates. It is calculated on the figures of last election that if the system had then been put into operation the Nationalists would still have been in command, though with a majority reduced by about- half.