Main index for Voting matters — To advance the understanding of preferential voting systems

These pages provide an electronic copy of the technical publication of the McDougall Trust called Voting matters — To advance the understanding of preferential voting systems. For simplicity, the authorative copy of Voting matters is the printed copy. The early individual articles appear here in HTML, while the later ones are in PDF. Hence only the PDF version can be taken as being that same as the printed copy.

Readers are reminded that views expressed in Voting matters by contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the McDougall Trust.

Note that Issues 1–16 were published by the Electoral Reform Society.

Issues 1–16 are available in both PDF and HTML. For the Issues 1–10, there is a single document in PDF (1.2Mb). Also, Issues 1–27 are available as a single document in PDF (3.5Mb). (Thanks to Jonathan Lundell for that.) For the first ten issues, an Author (16Kb) index and an index by Title (16Kb) are available.

For Issues 17 onwards, PDF is available for each issue and also for the individual articles. Only the Editorial and the contents list of each issue are available in HTML.

  1. March 1994.
    1. B L Meek: A New Approach to the Single Transferable Vote. Part I.
    2. B L Meek: A New Approach to the Single Transferable Vote. Part II.
    3. D R Woodall: Computer counting in STV elections.
    4. C H E Warren: Counting in STV elections.
    5. I D Hill: Meek or Warren counting.
  2. September 1994.
    1. S Gazeley: STV with successive selection — An alternative to excluding the lowest
    2. I D Hill: Sequential STV
    3. B A Wichmann: Two STV Elections
    4. B A Wichmann: An STV Database
    5. R J C Fennell: Is a feedback method of calculating the quota really necessary?
  3. December 1994.
    1. B A Wichmann: The problem of stability
    2. I D Hill: The comparative steadiness test of electoral methods
    3. P Dean: Response to the paper by R J C Fennell
    4. I D Hill: Are better STV rules worthwhile? — A reply to R J C Fennell
    5. D R Woodall: Properties of Preferential Election Rules
  4. August 1995.
    1. P Dean: Progressive Elimination
    2. I D Hill: Meek and monotonicity
    3. I D Hill: Trying to find a winning set of candidates
    4. B A Wichmann: A simple model of voter behaviour
    5. D R Woodall: Monotonicity — An In-Depth Study of One Example
  5. January 1996.
    1. C Allard: Estimating the Probability of Monotonicity Failure in a UK General Election
    2. C H E Warren: An example showing that Condorcet infringes a precept of preferential voting systems
    3. B A Wichmann: Producing plausible party election data
  6. May 1996.
    1. B L Meek: A transferable voting system including intensity of preference.
    2. B A Wichmann: A form of STV with single-member constituencies.
    3. P Kestelman: Is STV a form of PR?
    4. D R Woodall: Monotonicity and Single-Seat Election Rules.
    5. I D Hill: Some comments on Replaying the 1992 general election.
  7. September 1996.
    1. C H E Warren: On the lack of Convexity in STV
    2. B A Wichmann: Large elections by computer
    3. I D Hill: Meek style STV — a simple introduction
    4. I D Hill: How was my vote used?
    5. C H E Warren: STV and Equality of Preference
    6. I D Hill: Equality of preference — an alternative view
  8. May 1997.
    1. (Editor) Organisations using STV
    2. E M Syddique & B A Wichmann: Quotation Marks
    3. I D Hill: Are non-transferables bad?
    4. B A Wichmann: Some Council Elections
    5. I D Hill: Measuring proportionality
  9. May 1998.
    1. I D Hill: STV with constraints
    2. I D Hill, R F Maddock and B A Wichmann: Comments on the Scottish Electoral proposals
    3. B A Wichmann and R F Maddock: Voter Choice and Proportionality
    4. C Rosenstiel: Producing a Party List using STV
    5. J Otten: Ordered List Selection
  10. March 1999.
    1. C H E Warren: The Handsomely Supported Candidate Ploy
    2. C H E Warren: An example of ordering elected candidates
    3. Earl Kitchener: STV with constraints
    4. I D Hill: A problem for Andrae and Hare
    5. B A Wichmann: A review of the ERS97 rules
    6. P Kestelman: Quantifying Representativity
  11. April 2000.
    1. C H E Warren: Incorporating X-voting into Preference voting by STV
    2. P Kestelman: AV-plus, PR and Essential AMS
    3. Earl Kitchener: Tie-Breaking in STV
    4. B A Wichmann: Checking two STV programs
    5. I D Hill: Quota reduction in hand-counting STV rules
    6. C Rosenstiel: The problem of surpluses when the quota is reduced
  12. November 2000.
    1. J Otten: Ordered List Selection revisited.
    2. I D Hill: Tie-breaking in STV.
    3. I D Hill: Mixing X-voting and preference voting.
    4. B A Wichmann: The computational accuracy using the Meek algorithm.
    5. H G Jones: A Comparison of Electoral Systems using Decision Analysis.
    6. S Gazeley: STV with Elimination by Electability Scores.
    7. I D Hill: How to ruin STV.
  13. April 2001.
    1. C H E Warren: Mixing X-Voting and Preference Voting.
    2. B A Wichmann: Recounts with STV.
    3. J Otten: STV with multiple constraints.
    4. I D Hill: Difficulties with equality of preference.
    5. B A Wichmann: Is STV transparent?.
  14. December 2001.
    1. Simon Gazeley: STV with Symmetric Completion
    2. Brian Wichmann: Do the differences matter?
    3. David Chapman: Preferential Approval Voting
    4. Bob Jones: Decision Analysis — Responses to a Questionnaire
  15. June 2002.
    1. Philip Kestelman: Positional Voting Bias Revisited
    2. Eivind Stensholt: Nonmonotonicity in AV
    3. M Schulze: On Dummett's 'Quota Borda System'
    4. I.D. Hill and Simon Gazeley: Sequential STV — a new version
  16. February 2003.
    1. P Dean: STV in Tasmania, p2
    2. E Stensholt: Implementing a suggestion of Meek's, p2–5
    3. I D Hill: What would a different method have done?, p5
    4. I D Hill: What sort of proportionality?, p5–6
    5. B A Wichmann: Proportionality Revisited, p6–8
    6. S W Todd: STV in New Zealand, p8–10
  17. October 2003.
    1. D R Woodall: QPQ, a quota-preferential STV-like election rule (p1–7, PDF 92Kb)
    2. J Otten: Fuller Disclosure than Intended (p8, PDF 16Kb)
    3. M Schulze: A New Monotonic and Clone-Independent Single-Winner Election Method (p9–19, PDF 76Kb)
    4. J Gilmour: Calculation of Transfer Values — Proposal for STV-PR Rules for Local Government Elections in Scotland (p20–24, PDF 32Kb)
  18. June 2004.
    1. I. D. Hill: What is meant by `monotonic'? What is meant by `AV'? (p1, PDF 12Kb)
    2. M. Schulze: Free riding. (p2–8, PDF 48Kb)
    3. I. D. Hill: An odd feature in a real STV election. (p9, PDF 12Kb)
    4. I. D. Hill: Full disclosure of data. (p10, PDF 28Kb)
    5. B. A. Wichmann: A note on the use of preferences. (p11–13, PDF 28Kb)
    6. J. C. O'Neill: Tie-Breaking with the Single Transferable Vote. (p14–17, PDF 12Kb)
  19. November 2004.
    1. B. A. Wichmann: Tie Breaking in STV. (p1–5, PDF 40Kb)
    2. J. Green-Armytage: Cardinal-weighted pairwise comparison. (p6–13, PDF 70Kb)
    3. B. A. Wichmann: A Working Paper on Full Disclosure. (p14–16, PDF 32Kb)
  20. June 2005.
    1. I. D. Hill and C. H. E. Warren:   Meek versus Warren. (p1–5, PDF 44Kb)
    2. I. D. Hill and Simon Gazeley: Sequential STV — a further modification. (p6–8, PDF 32Kb)
    3. Earl Kitchener: A new way to break STV ties in a special case. (p9–11, PDF 28Kb)
    4. P Kestelman. Apportionment and Proportionality: A Measured View. (p12–22, PDF 80Kb)
  21. March 2006.
    1. Jeff O'Neill: Fast Algorithms for Counting Ranked Ballots. (p1–5, PDF 36Kb)
    2. Brian Wichmann: Changing the Irish STV Rules. (p6–11, PDF 52Kb).
    3. Franz Ombler: Booklet position effects, and two new statistics to gauge voter understanding of the need to rank candidates in preferential elections. (p12–21, PDF 72Kb)
  22. July 2006.
    1. Jonathan Lundell: Random tie-breaking in STV. (p1–6, PDF 48Kb)
    2. David Hill: Implementing STV by Meek's method. (p7–10, PDF 36Kb)
    3. Robert Newland: Computerisation of STV counts. (p11–13, PDF 28Kb)
    4. Jeff O'Neill: Comments on the STV Rules Proposed by British Columbia. (p14–20, PDF 60Kb)
    5. James Gilmour: Developing STV Rules for manual counting to give effect to the Weighted Inclusive Gregory Method of transferring surpluses, with candidates' votes recorded as integer values. (p21–25, PDF 40Kb)
  23. February 2007.
    1. David Hill: Comments on Newland's paper. (p1–2, PDF 88Kb)
    2. Editor, et al: Edited comments on Robert Newland's suggestions. (p3–9, PDF 288Kb)
    3. Brian Wichmann: Review — Machinery of Democracy. (p10–12, PDF 116Kb)
    4. Jonathan Lundell: Review — Irish Commission on Electronic Voting. (p13–17, PDF 208Kb)
    5. David Hill: Review — Collective Decisions and Voting. (p18–20, PDF 136Kb)
  24. October 2007.
    1. David Hill: STV in Northern Ireland. (p1–2, PDF 92Kb)
    2. Jonathan Lundell and I D Hill: Notes on the Droop quota. (p3–6, PDF 200Kb)
    3. H R Droop: On Methods of Electing Representatives. (p7–46, PDF 1.1Mbb)
    4. E Stensholt: Review — Elections in split societies. (p47–56, PDF 396Kb)
  25. September 2008.
    1. Thomas Hare: A New Statistical Method. (p1–12, PDF 132Kb)
    2. Peter Emerson: Review — The Persuadable Voter. (p13–17, PDF 88Kb)
    3. Philip Kestelman: Transferable Proportionality. (p18–25, PDF 144Kb)
  26. January 2009.
    1. Anton Buhagiar and Josef Lauri: STV in Malta: A crisis? (p1–12, PDF 324Kb)
    2. Brian Wichmann: Review — Mathematics and Democracy. (p13–15, PDF 80Kb)
    3. Roger Sewell, David MacKay and Iain McLean: Probabilistic electoral methods, representative probability, and maximum entropy. (p16–38, PDF 568Kb)
  27. September 2009.
    1. Joseph W. Durham and Peter Lindener: Moderated Differential Pairwise Tallying: A Voter Specified Hybrid of Ranking by Pairwise Comparisons and Cardinal Utility Sums (p1–21, PDF 484Kb)
    2. I D Hill: Casual vacancies and the Meek method. (p22–26, PDF 76Kb)
    3. Philip Kestelman: Alternative Voting in Proportion. (p27–36, PDF 140Kb)
  28. February 2011.
    1. Frank Bezzina and Anton Buhagiar: STV 4+: A Proportional System for Malta's Electoral Process. (p1–14, PDF 84Kb)
    2. Ross Hyman: Divisor Method Proportional Representation in Preference-Ballot Elections. (p15–31, PDF 212Kb)
    3. Simon Gazeley: STV with Elimination of Discounted Contenders. (p32–35, PDF 37Kb)
    4. Michael Mernagh: What's in a Name? A Political Myth? (p36–50, PDF 405Kb)
  29. October 2011.
    1. James Green-Armytage: Four Condorcet-Hare Hybrid Methods for Single-Winner Elections. (p1–14, PDF 252Kb)
    2. .D. Hill: Party Lists and Preference Voting. (p15–19, PDF 432Kb)
    3. Emerson: The Matrix Vote: Electing an All-Party Coalition Cabinet. (p20–31, PDF 143Kb)
    4. Svante Janson: Another Note on the Droop Quota and Rounding. (p32–35 PDF 31Kb)
    5. Markus Schulze: Review - Voting Theory for Democracy (p36–38 PDF 31Kb)
  30. April 2013.
    1. I.D. Hill: The Case for Meek for STV in Scotland. (p1-8, PDF 81KB)
    2. Lee Naish: Partial Disclosure of Votes in STV Elections. (p9-13, PDF 108KB)
    3. James Green-Armytage: Software Review: OpenSTV and OpaVote. (p14-17, PDF 92KB)
    4. Thomas Colignatus: A Short Response to a ‘Review’, with a Comment on Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem (p18-20, PDF 84KB)
    5. Markus Schulze: Short Reply to "A Short Response to a 'Review', with a Comment on Arrow's Impossibility Theorem" by Thomas Colignatus (p21, PDF 7KB)

Forthcoming papers

Index by contributor.

Notes on this publication.

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