How To Vote
All elections at the University of Strathclyde Students' Association are run online via the PEGASUS Portal.
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1. Log onto PEGASUS at http://pegasus.strath.ac.uk |
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2. Follow the onscreen instructions to make your choice using a preference (see below) |
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3. Polls close at 5pm on the 20th of March 2012 and the results will be posted on this site |
How voting on PEGASUS works
The ballot paper hosted on PEGASUS provides us with a secure voting mechanism whereby we can be sure only eligible voters can vote and also make sure that their votes are kept anonymous.
The ballot paper is split up into each individual position to be elected and within this, it will list all the available candidates in that particular election (just like a paper ballot would). You do not have to vote for every candidate or even every position - it is entirely up to you.
The system will only allow you to submit numerical data (i.e. 1, 2, 3, and so on) which helps us to maximise the number of votes counted. This is because, unlike a paper ballot, you will not be able to make a mistake by putting a 'X' where there should be a '1'. There is a 'help' button beside each option which will remind you what to do. See below for further info on voting in order of preference
Once you have finished voting, just click the 'Submit' button. The polls will stay open until 5pm on Tuesday the 20th of March 2012 and, unlike a paper ballot, you can go back to your vote and change it as many times as you like, right up until that deadline. Your final selection at 5pm when polls close is the only selection that will be counted.
Polls will be open from 9am on Monday the 19th of March and close at 5pm on Tuesday the 20th of March. Please note, however that PEGASUS conducts an automatic back-up at around midnight, so will be unavailable for 10-20 minutes whilst this is running. It will come back up once this is complete.
Voting in order of preference
All Students’ Association’s elections operate by using a Transferable Voting system. It is vital that you understand how this system works before you cast your vote.
The Alternative Transferable Voting system (ATV) is used to elect a single candidate for a position (e.g. to elect the President & the Vice Presidents). The Single Transferable Voting system (STV) is used to elect multiple candidates for a position (e.g. to elect 8 student representatives to attend an NUS conference).
This means that you vote 1 for your 1st choice candidate, 2 for your 2nd choice, and so on. You do not necessarily have to vote for all the candidates, so long as you pick a 1st choice. If you don't think that any of the candidates deserve your vote, then vote for RON...
Counting Votes | The Transferable Vote System
Parliamentary Elections use the ‘first past the post’ system, which gives each voter a single vote. With this type of system, a candidate is elected simply by coming top of the poll. The result of the election could look like this:
| Candidate A | 999 votes |
| Candidate B | 1000 votes |
| Candidate C | 950 votes |
| Candidate D | 800 votes |
Candidate B is first past the post and will be elected to represent that constituency, despite the fact that 2749 people did not want him to be their representative and chose another candidate. Their votes are, in effect, wasted.
The Transferable Voting system, however, allows each voter the fullest freedom of choice between candidates, and therefore the maximum use of their vote. When used properly, it works to elect the least unpopular candidate.
With the Transferable Voting system, each voter is asked to rank the candidates in order of personal preference.
For example, a completed ballot slip might look like this:
| Candidate A | 1 |
| Candidate B | 4 |
| Candidate C | |
| Candidate D | 2 |
| Re-Open Nominations (RON) | 3 |
At the close of voting, all the completed ballot forms are counted and allocated to each candidate according to the first preference indicated.
The Returning Officer for the election then declares the total number of valid votes, and the required quota. The quota is simply the minimum number of votes a candidate must gain in order to be sure of election. For single posts, the quota is a simple majority; the successful candidate must gain at least 50% of the total number of valid votes, plus one.
When more than two candidates are running for the same position, it is unlikely that a single candidate will achieve this quota. In this case, at the end of the first round of counting, the candidate with the least amount of votes is eliminated, and each of their votes is re-allocated to the next expressed preference on that ballot slip.
If, at the end of this second round of counting, the required quota has still not been achieved by any of the remaining candidates, then the process is repeated. The candidate with the least number of total votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the next indicated preference.
This process of elimination and redistribution is repeated until a candidate either achieves the required quota of 50% of the valid number of votes plus one, or until the final round, where only two candidates remain. In this case, the candidate with the highest number of total votes will be elected.
Re-open nominations (RON)
Who is RON?
RON is a democratic mechanism to allow voters to choose not to elect any of the candidates in the election. If RON wins the election, then nominations will re-open and this will give more people the chance to stand for the position.
Why should you vote for RON?
You should vote RON if you feel the none of the candidates are up to the job.
However if you think that only one candidate is worth your vote, then you may choose to vote RON as your second choice. If there are two candidates that are worth your vote then you may choose to vote RON for the third choice, and so on.
You do not have to vote for RON at all of you don't want to.
What happens if RON wins?
If RON wins the election, nominations will be re-opened for that particular position. New candidates will have the opportunity to run for the position and those that ran previously will be able to run again.
Still got questions?!
If you have any further queries about how to vote or are having any problems, please get in touch with us on elections@theunion.strath.ac.uk
