Regulation 330.05: Elections Preferential Balloting

01. Preferential Balloting Process

1. Balloting shall be conducted by preferential balloting using natural numbers, with one (1) representing the first choice and increasing numbers representing less desirable choices.

2. If no Candidate receives a majority of first-place votes in a given race, the Candidate with the fewest first-place votes shall be eliminated.

3. If a Candidate wins a majority of the first preference votes, they will be declared the winner. 

4. If no Candidate wins a majority of first-place votes, the one with the least first-place votes will face elimination. From here, the first-place votes cast in favour of the failed Candidate will be removed, putting forward the second-preference choices cited in those ballots. The elections office will then conduct a new tally to determine whether any Candidate has won the majority vote of those ballots. This process repeats until one Candidate wins an outright majority.

5. Where a ballot is left with no first-place vote for a given race, the section of that ballot in question shall be considered spoiled.

6. Where all remaining Candidates have an equal number of first-place votes, or where the remaining Candidate with the fewest first-place votes is tied with another remaining Candidate, the Candidate with the fewest first-place votes on the first count in which a differential existed shall be eliminated.

7. Where all remaining Candidates receive an equal number of votes, and the C.R.O. is a Member, then the C.R.O. shall cast a ballot.

8. Where all remaining Candidates receive an equal number of votes, and the C.R.O. is not a Member, then a D.R.O. shall cast a ballot.

9. Where all remaining Candidates have an equal number of first-place votes, or where the remaining Candidate with the fewest first-place votes is tied with another remaining Candidate, and where this tie has existed on every count, and the C.R.O is not a Member, then the Candidate to be eliminated shall be selected from those Candidates with the fewest first-place votes by a random or quasi-random method selected by the C.R.O.

10. The process set out in regulation shall continue for each position until a Candidate receives a majority of first-place votes for that position, at which point that Candidate shall be declared victorious and removed from the ballot. This process is repeated with the remaining Candidates not yet declared victorious.

11. Where “None of the Above” is declared victorious, no further Candidates shall be declared victorious.