The Single Transferable Vote (STV) method has been credited to Thomas Wright Hill, who first proposed the method in 1819. STV is a ranked choice voting method that aims to achieve proportional representation in multi-seat elections. Voters receive one vote that can be transferred to the next ranking candidate on their ballot if their first choice is eliminated through the removal from the election or the winning of a seat.

With single transferable voting, there are two distinct methods available for us to use: the elimination method or the quota method. The method chosen determines which candidates will have their votes transferred to other candidates. The elimination method removes the candidate with the least support and transfers their votes to the next ranking candidate on each ballot. More information on the Elimination Method can be found in the Further Resources page. In this module we will focus on the quota method. The quota method determines a set number of votes a candidate must receive in order to win a seat in a multi-seat election. When a seat is won, the surplus votes of the winning candidate are then apportioned to the next ranking candidate on the ballot.

To use the quota method for SVT when electing more than one candidate, we must first formulate a quota that a candidate must meet in order to win a seat. Once a candidate meets this quota, any surplus or extra votes the candidate had are proportionally transferred to the next ranking candidate their voters had chosen on their ranked ballot. This process continues until all seats are filled.

In the situation where no candidate meets the quota, the candidate with the least number of votes are eliminated, and if there are only two candidates remaining, an instant runoff is performed.