RFP Help Desk - The Hare Quota System

RFP Help Desk - The Hare Quota System

The Hare Quota System is designed to ensure that every opinion within the electorate is represented proportionally based on its numerical strength.

What it addresses:

Under the typical voting system, a simple majority or even a plurality of votes is enough to elect candidates for a committee or representative body. This system is also used in the United States for selecting presidential electors. This leads to inequality when only one person is chosen for a representative assembly. For example, in a congressional election in Indiana, despite a majority of 349,546 voters, only 13 representatives were elected, leaving the rest without representation. Such instances of minority representation are not uncommon in American legislative elections.

How the Hare System works:

Nominations:

Candidates are nominated through a petition signed by a specified number of voters or by members of the University Senate.

Ballot and Voting Method:

Voters use a numbered ballot to indicate their preferences. They mark their first choice with the number 1 and can express additional choices by assigning subsequent numbers. Voters can choose as many candidates as they want, irrespective of the number to be elected. Ranking candidates in order of preference allows for a more nuanced voting experience.

Counting the Ballots - The Quota:

The first step in counting the ballots is to determine the number of first-choice votes required to elect a candidate. This is calculated by dividing the total number of votes cast by the number of positions to be filled, resulting in a quota. For example, if there were 410 votes cast to elect 17 members, the quota would be 24.

Counting the Ballots - Transfer of Votes:

The ballots are sorted based on the first choices indicated. Suppose there are 27 first-choice votes for Jones, 25 for Brown, and so on. Candidates who receive the quota (in this case, Jones and Brown) are declared elected.

If a candidate exceeds the quota, the surplus votes are transferred to the second choices indicated on each ballot. If the second choice is also elected, the third choice receives the vote. This process continues until all vacancies are filled and no surpluses remain.

If there are vacancies and no surpluses, votes for candidates with the lowest numbers are redistributed according to their subsequent choices.

Note: This description of the Hare Quota System is based on the University of Chicago's explanation, with modifications and additional information from Wikipedia's description of the Hare system.