Posted 9/10/12

Macedon Ranges Shire Council Elections, 2012

Special Feature: 

What You Should Know Before You Vote...

Candidates' Preferences

- where your vote goes if you do what the candidate says

Do you know who you really vote for when you follow a candidate’s preferences?

The Basics  /  The Candidate's Preferences  /  How Candidates Decide Who They Give Your Vote To

Candidates' Preferences: How Candidates Are Preferencing In Each Ward - Tables:

East Ward

South Ward

West Ward

The Basics

• When you vote, you are electing three (3) councillors, not one.
• You must put a different number in every box on the ballot paper.  If there are 6 candidates, number the boxes from 1 to 6 (1 being first, and 6 being last).
• The candidate you mark No.1 receives your primary vote.  The other numbers are your preferences which are passed on in the order of the numbers on your ballot paper: to No.2, then No.3, then No.4, etc.
• Because Macedon Ranges uses the PROPORTIONAL vote counting system for council elections, your vote may be passed to every candidate, except the person you put last on your ballot paper (i.e. No.6 in a field of 6). Your vote is never passed to the 'last' candidate on ballot papers - they get no preferences from the candidate who put them there. 

The Candidate's Preferences

• The candidates' statement that comes with your ballot paper contains each candidate's "indications of preferences".  This is where your vote goes if you follow the candidate's preferences.
• Roughly 60% - 70% of voters follow the candidate's preferences. 

How Candidates Decide Who They Give Your Vote To

• To be elected, candidates need a specific number of votes (a quota).  If they don't have enough primary (No. 1) votes for a quota, they need preferences from other candidates to win.
• Once nominations close, candidates 'horse trade' to get as many preferences, and highest preference order, as possible.
• Preferencing:
  
  • can be candidates with like values preferencing each other first.
  • can be higher-profile candidates swapping preferences to improve the chances of one or more of them winning.
  • can be expediency, where higher-profile candidates give lesser known candidates second or third preferences in order to get their preferences.  If the lesser known candidates are excluded, a higher-profile candidate's preferences often leap to the next higher-profile candidate (who can be a long way down the first candidate's list of preferences).
  • may indicate 'dummy' candidates who are running only to send preferences to another candidate (this is illegal).
  • is sometimes as much about stopping another candidate as it is about winning.

• You don't have to vote the way the candidate wants.  You can vote for candidates in any order you wish, as long as you put a different number in every box on your ballot paper.

Candidates’ Preferences:  How Candidates Are Preferencing In Each Ward

In the following tables, candidates and their preferences are shown for each ward.  This 'big picture' approach lets you quickly see where each candidate is directing your vote.  Click here for a plain PDF of the tables.

Look for patterns in candidates' preferences: who is at the bottom, and near the top, can say a lot.  Check where higher-profile candidates put other higher-profile candidates, because this is where your vote is likely to finish up, and that's who you will be electing. You may be surprised - we were!    Candidate contact details

NOTE:  In these tables candidates’ preferences are presented by ward and are in descending sequential order, that is, second preference, third preference, etc.. They are not in ballot paper order.  Numbers represent the order of preferences. These tables are not intended to represent or be a how to vote indicator, and information is presented only to assist with understanding preference flows.  MRRA accepts no responsibility if the tables or information are used for any other purpose.  

# Current Councillors

* Candidate placed last in other candidates' preferences.

Higher-profile candidates are shown in Bold (this does not imply such candidate will win, or others lose).  Generally these are current or former councillors or others who have created a public image.

** Shows who might be elected by the candidate

Observations about East Ward

• There appears to be a pro-McLaughlin/anti--Morabito theme. 
• Morabito is last on 5 of 8 candidates’ tickets, and will receive no preferences from those candidates.  He relies on preferences from Neil and Bleeck to be re-elected, but if eliminated may also elect either of them.
• Hackett is receiving a lot of high order preferences, and may succeed.

# Current Councillors

* Candidate placed last in other candidates' preferences.

Higher-profile candidates are shown in Bold (this does not imply such candidate will win, or others lose).  Generally these are current or former councillors or others who have created a public image.

** Shows who might be elected by the candidate

Observations about West Ward:

• Three candidates are generally swapping preferences with each other: Harvey, Benson, Connor
• Labor-party affiliates Harvey and Benson are exchanging second preferences, with Connor third.
• Harvey, Benson and Connor all have Anderson last.  Anderson will not receive any preferences from those candidates.
• Jukes has fellow West Ward councillor Benson last. 

# Current Councillors

* Candidate placed last in other candidates' preferences.

Higher-profile candidates are shown in Bold (this does not imply such candidate will win, or others lose).  Generally these are current or former councillors or others who have created a public image.

** Shows who might be elected by the candidate

Preferences of Scoble were initially shown as (2) Dunn (3) Piper.  They should have been shown (as above) as (2) Piper (3) Dunn.  Our apologies for this error.

Observations about South Ward

• Patterns in South Ward suggest a clear division amongst candidates.
•  Three 'groups' of candidates are generally exchanging preferences, both within the 'group' and with the other two groups': Franklin/Nitz/Matthews, Dunn/Piper/Scoble/Taylor, Mowatt/Minchew. 
• Three other candidates are exchanging preferences (Letchford/Guthrie/Moore), but not with the above groups, who in turn are not preferencing these candidates.
• Dunn is receiving a lot of high order preferences (as above, and also from Joseph and Whitefield), and may succeed.
• Franklin and Matthews have declared Labor Party affiliations, and are exchanging preferences with each other, Nitz, and Mowatt.
• Russo, Whitefield and Joseph are generally placed somewhere in the middle of most candidates' preferences.