Voters rank candidates in order of preference. Under STV, you would write “1” next to the name of your favourite candidate, “2” next to your second favourite candidate and so on until you have ranked your preferences. You do not need to rank all candidates, just those you prefer most.

You still only have one vote, but by showing your preference for candidates, your vote can be transferred if your most preferred candidate is so popular, they don’t need all their votes to cross the election threshold or is not popular with other voters.

In an STV election, candidates must reach a certain number of votes to get elected. This is called a quota and is based on the total number of votes and the number of vacant positions.

Note - this was made in chatgpt, we won't be using this on the actual site.

[Scene 1 – Title Screen]

Narration:
"Ever wondered how Single Transferable Voting, or STV, works? Let’s find out—with the help of some of Aotearoa’s favourite birds!"

[Scene 2 – Meet the Candidates]

Visual: Each bird character appears with name and a little animation.

• 🦜 Kākā (playful and cheeky)

• 🐦 Pīwakawaka (friendly and fast)

• 🦅 Kārearea (focused and fierce)

• 🐤 Tītī (traveller and community-minded)

• 🟦 Takahē (strong and dependable)

Narration:
"Here are our five candidates: Kākā, Pīwakawaka, Kārearea, Tītī, and Takahē. Only one can be elected to the Bird Council!"

[Scene 3 – How to Vote]

Visual: A sample voting paper showing a person ranking birds:

1. Pīwakawaka

2. Kārearea

3. Takahē

4. Tītī

5. Kākā

Narration:
"Instead of choosing just one bird, you rank them in the order you like—1 for your favourite, 2 for your next choice, and so on."

[Scene 4 – The Quota]

Visual: Equation on screen with birds perched nearby.
"Quota = (Total Votes ÷ (Seats + 1)) + 1"

Narration:
"To win under STV, a bird must reach the quota – that’s the number of votes needed to be elected. It’s calculated using a special formula: the total number of votes divided by one more than the number of winners, plus one."

Example:
"If there’s just one winner and 100 voters, the quota is 51."

[Scene 5 – Count First Choices]

Visual: Bar chart shows number 1 votes. None reach quota.

Narration:
"We count everyone’s number 1 votes. If a bird reaches the quota, they’re elected straight away!"

[Scene 6 – No Quota Met – Eliminate Lowest]

Visual: Kākā has the fewest votes.

Narration:
"But if no one reaches the quota yet, the bird with the fewest votes is eliminated—and their votes are passed to the next favourite on each of those ballots."

[Scene 7 – Redistribution and Surplus]
(Include surplus vote transfer if a candidate goes over quota.)

Narration:
"If any bird has more than the quota, their extra votes are also transferred to others based on voters’ next preferences."

[Scene 8 – Repeat Until Winner Reaches Quota]

Narration:
"We keep redistributing until one bird reaches the quota. That bird is elected!"

[Scene 9 – We Have a Winner!]

Visual: Pīwakawaka reaches quota and is elected.

[Scene 10 – Recap]

Text Recap with animation:

• Rank your favourite birds

• Quota is calculated

• Count number 1 votes

• Eliminate the lowest

• Transfer surplus or next preferences

• First bird to reach quota wins!

No. In New Zealand’s local elections that use STV:

• Blank voting papers and informal votes are not counted when calculating the STV quota.

• Only valid votes (i.e. papers where a 1st preference is clearly marked) are included in the quota calculation.

This means if you add anything extra to your voting paper it may not be counted at all. 

By incorrectly marking your candidate preferences, you may make your preferences invalid. In the below examples writing "2" in twice means that officials can only be sure that your first preference is what you wanted, they have no way to know that Candidate C was who you really wanted as your third choice. Or if you have missed a number completely does this mean that you wanted Candiate B as your 3 preference? 

Example 1: Not unique

Example 2: Not consecutive

https://legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2001/0145/latest/DLM57125.html