Editing Random ballot (section)

===Transfer votes===
In some [[single transferable vote]] (STV) systems of [[proportional representation]], an elected candidate's surplus of votes over and above the [[Droop quota|quota]] is transferred by selecting the required number of ballot papers at random. Thus, if the quota is 1,000 votes, a candidate who polls 1,200 [[first preference]] votes has a surplus of 200 votes that s/he does not need. In some STV systems ([[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] since 1922, and [[Australia]] from 1918 to 1984), electoral officials would select 200 ballot-papers randomly from the 1,200. However, this has been criticised since it is not replicable if a recount is required. As a result, Australia has adopted a variant of [[fractional transfer]], a.k.a. the "[[Gregory method]]", by which, in this example, all 1,200 ballot-papers are transferred but are marked down in value to 0.1666 (one-sixth) of a vote each. This means that 1,000 votes "stay with" the elected candidate, while the value of the 1,200 ballot-papers transferred equals only 200 votes.