OVERVIEW

CSU elections have taken place entirely online using Simply Voting, an independently managed voting platform, since 2018.  Ballots will be sent to all CSU members’ CapU email address and voting will take place, around the clock, until the end of the polling period. If a voter changes their mind, they may login and re-vote any time during the voting period. 

Electoral systems

The Capilano Students’ Union uses single transferable voting (STV) for elections in which there are more candidates than there are positions available, except that in an election for which there are exactly two candidates for exactly one available position, at which time only first-preference votes are accepted.

For elections in which there are more candidates than there are positions, the CSU’s uses a variation of single transferable vote, a proportional representation electoral system that applies the ”Droop quota” ([number of valid votes / number of winners + 1] + 1) and not applying any redistribution of surplus votes. When there is only one winner, the question is equivalent to IRV (Instant-runoff voting, a subset of STV). Single Transferable Vote votes are counted as follows:

  1. On the first round of counting, each option shall receive a first preference vote for each vote indicating it as first preference.
  2. Should an option meet the quota of first preference votes after any round, it shall be declared elected. If there are several options meeting the quota the one with the most votes shall be elected. If there is a tie one of those options shall be elected by random draw.
  3. If no option is elected, then the option with the fewest number of first preference votes shall be eliminated from the question. Should there be a tie for the fewest number of first preference votes, then among these, the option with the fewest number of second preference votes shall be eliminated. Should a tie persist, the procedure shall continue with third preference votes, et cetera. Should a tie still persist, the option with the fewest number of original first preference votes, shall be eliminated. Should a tie still persist, the procedures shall continue with original second preference votes et cetera. Should a tie still persist, an option shall be eliminated by random draw. Options are never eliminated simultaneously, even when it is acceptable to do so (you would reach the same result eliminating one-by-one).
  4. When an option is eliminated, all first preference votes for that option shall be replaced by the vote’s first preferred option that is not yet elected or eliminated. All second preference votes for that option shall be replaced by the vote’s next preferred option that is not yet elected or eliminated, and so on.
  5. This procedure of electing and eliminating option(s) shall continue until all winners are elected or there is only one option left (and that option shall be declared elected).