Call for Votes - 2018 SPI board elections

[Ian Jackson]

Hilmar Lapp writes ("Re: Call for Votes - 2018 SPI board elections"):
> The ballot explains how the votes will be counted (ScottishSTV) but
> not what does and what does not constitute a valid ballot
> submission. Presumably it is some combination of the letters
> standing for the candidates on the ballot,

I can't speak for the ballot software, but I can answer this next
question:

>   Also, what is the effect of leaving off one or more of
> the candidates from the ballot altogether. Will these be interpreted
> as least preference or no preference.

Least preference.  While this is copletely standard for all other
preferential voting systems anywhere, it is a difference to SPI's past
practice in board votes.  It would be worth highlighting that
somewhere appropriate.

FYI, the authoritative answer can be found, if you like digging, as
follows:

Start with the SPI board resolution on the voting system,
  http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/2017/2017-04-10.vy.1/
That refers to the Scottish Local Government Elections Order 2007
  http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2007/42/schedule/1/part/III/crossheading/counting-of-votes/made
(You have to infer the answer to the question from the counting
method.)

Alternatively, you could read the Wikipedia[1] description of STV
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_transferable_vote
which I think is probably sufficient to answer this question.

NB that I'm not providing these references with a subtext of "and you
should have known this".  I just wanted to provide references to
authoritative information and to a reputable summary.

Ian.

[1] Caution: the Wikipedia pages on voting systems seem to me to have
been disproportionately influenced by proponents of Range Voting and
Approval Voting, which are systems which are IMO deeply flawed, very
rarely used in real elections and which for some reason seem to be
popular in certain USAian circles.  A full discussion of this
phenomenon is out of scope here and might anyway lead to another
voting systems flamewar.