Free Republic

It's now been a full week since the Australian Federal election, and there is still no result. The way votes are tallied and how they are actually distributed among candidates may seem archaic to some, but, oddly, it is a system that works quite well. This post explains why some electorates are still in the balance even now. It also shows how a candidate might actually finish third after the Number one votes are tallied, and yet still become the member who gets elected.

SYDNEY, Australia Oct. 9, 2004 — Prime Minister John Howard scored a stunning victory in Australia's federal election Saturday in a vote ensuring the country keeps its troops in Iraq. Labor Party leader Mark Latham conceded defeat in a speech to his supporters in western Sydney, saying he called Howard to congratulate him on his fourth straight election victory. "Tonight was not our night," Latham said. The election was widely seen abroad as the first referendum for the three leaders who launched the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, with President Bush facing a ballot next month and British Prime Minister...