No voting system is perfect. Every electoral system has its flaws, and Australia’s preferential voting system is no exception.
However, despite its imperfections, it remains the best option we have because it delivers an outcome that most accurately reflects the will of the majority.
That is why, with a state election pending, it is important for all voters to understand how it works and the outcome it delivers.
The fundamental principle of democracy is that the person elected should be someone most people are prepared to support. Preferential voting helps achieve that outcome.
To understand why, imagine an election with 10 candidates. One candidate has a very strong and loyal following and secures 30 per cent of the primary vote.
At first glance, that may seem like a convincing result. But if the remaining 70 per cent of voters would prefer almost anyone else, should that person really be elected?
Under a simple first-past-the-post system, the answer would be yes. The candidate with the highest number of votes wins, even if a clear majority of voters did not support them.
That outcome can produce a representative who is actively opposed by the majority of the electorate.
Preferential voting avoids this problem. It allows voters to rank every candidate in order of preference. As candidates with the lowest number of votes are progressively eliminated, their votes are redistributed according to the preferences marked by those voters. The process continues until one candidate receives majority support.
In simple terms, the eventual winner is the person who can build the broadest level of acceptance across the community, rather than simply attracting the largest minority.
That is an important distinction. It encourages candidates to speak to a wider audience, seek common ground and appeal beyond their own core supporters. It also discourages positions that may energise a small group of voters but alienate the majority.
This election is also shaping as one where preferences may be more important than they have been for some time. Across Victoria, more candidates and parties are contesting seats, and many electorates are unlikely to be decided on primary vote alone. In a number of seats, the final outcome will come down to where preferences flow and how voters have chosen to order their ballot paper.
This is why voters should pay careful attention to their preferences. Too often, people focus only on placing a number one beside their preferred candidate and give little thought to the remaining boxes. However, your preferences are just as important as your first choice.
The system is founded on the basis that you can highlight the person you want to win, but it is also an opportunity to indicate who you do not want to see elected. Every preference has the potential to influence the final result.
This election also comes at a particularly important time for Victoria. Regardless of political persuasion, few would dispute that our state faces financial challenges unlike any we have seen before. Record levels of debt and the pressure that places on future budgets will require difficult decisions in the years ahead.
Victorians will have the opportunity to elect many new representatives. Fresh ideas are important, but I see it as critically important there is a team with the experience and capability to govern.
It is true preferential voting can be more complicated than some alternatives, and there will always be debate about whether the system could be improved, but when the alternative is allowing someone to win despite a majority of voters not wanting them, its case is strong.
At its heart, democracy is about ensuring the person elected has the confidence of the majority. They may not be everyone’s first choice, but they should be someone most people are comfortable having represent them.
That’s why, in my view, preferential voting remains the best system we have to achieve that outcome.
