Word: quota
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Sullivan is the only city councillor thus far officially elected; he attained the necessary quota of 2499 votes from his "number one" ballots. After yesterday's redistribution of Sullivan's 1100 vote surplus to the "number two" candidates marked on each of the 1100 ballots, Vellucci, Danehy, and Crane now need only 78 votes, 152 votes, and 254 votes respectively to meet the quota...
Under the system, each candidate must have a certain quota of votes in order to be elected. The quota is set by dividing the total number of votes cast by the number of seats to be filled plus one. Then, add one vote to the quotient and there's the quota. The idea behind sitting the quota at this level is to make it low enough for candidates supported by a minority group to get elected, and high enough to make the elections more than a matter of chance...
This year, about 25,000 voted in the City Council election, making the quota approximately 2500. As he almost always does, Walter J. Sullivan ran highest; he was the only candidate to make the quota from his "number ones." As an example, say Sullivan got a hypothetical total of 3750 "number ones" (slightly higher than his actual count). Thus, he is 1250 over the quota...
...redistribution of the "surplus" of candidates who make the quota is one half of PR's reshuffling of votes; the other half is the elimination of the candidates ranking lowest at any one time, and the redistribution of their votes to "number two" candidates...
...votes, respectively. The three are expected to have little trouble gaining the 3532 votes needed for election as the Election Commission goes through the complex process of eliminating low-ranking candidates, re-distributing their ballots to "number two" candidates, until six of the candidates have met the quota...