Resolution 2017-04-10.vy.1: Adopt Scottish STV for Board Elections

This resolution was adopted by the Board of Directors of SPI at their meeting of April 10, 2017.

WHEREAS

  1. SPI's voting system for Board elections is unique to our organisation and has several problems; notably, a lack of proportionality.

  2. SPI is not equipped to effectively design or analyse voting systems. We wish to adopt a system widely used elsewhere, and which is recommended by civil society organisations specialising in voting reform.

  3. The Single Transferrable Vote is the only proportional voting system, suitable for SPI, which meets these criteria.

  4. The Scottish STV variant is clearly specified; we have an established and stable Free Software implementation of it; and it is straightforward to (re)implement. Other STV variants appear to lack some of these good properties.

  5. Ian Jackson has offered to help with the implementation of STV for SPI.

THEREFORE THE SPI BOARD RESOLVES

  1. Future elections to the SPI Board will be counted according to the Scottish Single Transferrable Vote. Scottish STV will also be used by SPI for any other multi-winner election.

  2. Specifically, the algorithm to be used is that specified in Rules 45-52 of the Scottish Local Government Elections Order 2007 (a UK Statutory Instrument): http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2007/42/schedule/1/part/III/crossheading/counting-of-votes/made

  3. The practical implementation will be by means of software; for example, perhaps the openstv package in Debian. The choice of software is up to the Secretary. However, any differences between the Rules in the Order referenced above, and whatever software implementation is chosen, are to be resolved in favour of the Rules.

  4. The SPI Secretary is requested to liaise with Ian Jackson, so that the necessary changes to SPI software and infrastructure can be identified and implemented.