- 08/11/2012
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: News
The elections for the position of Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands Police Area take place on Thursday 15 November 2012. This will be the first time that the Supplementary Vote (SV) system has been used for an election in the West Midlands.
How to vote:
The ballot paper will give you the opportunity to vote for your first choice candidate and, if you wish to, a second choice candidate also. To vote for a candidate as your first choice, put a cross in the box next to that candidate’s name in the first column on the ballot paper. To vote for a candidate as your second choice, put a cross next to that candidate’s name in the second column.
Counting the Votes:
The process begins by counting the first choice votes for each candidate. If one candidate receives a majority of first choice votes, they are declared the winner.
If no candidate receives a majority of first choice votes, all but the two candidates that received the most first choice votes are eliminated. The ballot papers giving the first choice votes to the eliminated candidates are then counted again, but this time only the second choice votes cast for the two remaining candidates are counted. These are then added to the two candidates’ first choice votes. The candidate with the most votes overall at this stage is declared the winner and is elected.
In Summary:
A good way to think about this voting system is as a two-round election. In the first round, all but the two most popular candidates are eliminated. The second round is then a choice between these two candidates. People who voted for eliminated candidates can still have a say in the second round if they have given one of the two most popular candidates their second preference vote.
More Information:
Please click here to see a list of all the candidates standing for the position of Police and Crime Commissioner in the West Midlands.
Please click here for a guide from the Electoral Commission on the Supplementary Voting System.