Tom Stoppard’s pearl of wisdom: “”Democracy does not lie in the voting, but in the counting,” said Tom Stoppard.
A simple system does not mean a fair system. Similarly a system that is difficult to understand is not necessarily unfair or should be done away with.
The Hare-Clark system is complex and fair _ if you define fair as providing seats in reasonable proportion to votes and at the same time giving some geographical representation.
It is important in Hare-Clark to number preferences right through the ballot paper so every candidate has a number against him or her. This is because preferences flow not only from excluded minor-party candidates but also from excluded major-party candidates, given each major party puts up five candidates for five seats and cannot possibly win all of them.
The ACT has been divided into three electorates: Ginninderra, based on Belconnen, with five seats; Brindabella, based on Tuggeranong, also with five seats and Molonglo, based in the centre, with seven seats.
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