Tie-Breaking with the Single Transferable Vote
J.C. O'Neill · SSRN Electronic Journal · 2006
In tallying the single transferable vote, ties can occur for several reasons. For example, ties can occur when choosing a surplus to transfer, when choosing a candidate to eliminate, and when choosing winners. One could break ties by lot, but other information is available in an STV count that can be used to break the tie. This paper considers the order of rounds and the use of sub-stages in breaking ties in popular STV rules and makes recommendations based on this analysis.