A true democratic election

Ireland was electing its new national government and so, homework done, I trotted to the polling station with my carefully curated list of 15 local candidates in the order I would put them in on the ballot.

That’s right, no crosses here in Ireland. Instead, we get to number the candidates from our best to our worst.

Then, if a contender gets elected based on the tally of first preference votes they receive, the excess ballots in their favour get redistributed based on second, third, fourth choice, and so on.

Ditto the least popular candidates: as they get eliminated, the tallymen redistribute those ballots too.

For me, the choice included the fool who wanted to bring back smoking in restaurants, reduce green taxes on plastic, and return to the slumlords of the past, so I put him last.

Then there was the idiot who went to school with my son, who’s running on an anti-immigrant manifesto despite having a Jamaican mother. He was second last.

So it went, upwards through the dreamers, the chancers, the existing parliamentarians, and the chap running in several constituencies – presumably thinking if you sprinkle enough crumbs you’ll get a bite – right to my first, second, and third choices, those tackling climate change and housing shortages, while nurturing the arts, and promising puppies for everyone (or maybe I dreamt that).

They won’t get in, but how wonderful to vote with my heart, to make them my first pick, because even when they’re eliminated my ballot still counts, moving to my next preference.

We call it the single transferable vote, and it’s fabulous. Every country should use it – although the training for the tallymen might take a while.

There’d be no winner-takesall, no first-past-the-post, no need for compromise or cold pragmatism. There’d be no fear-voting for the dreary white Democratic Alliance, for example, merely to stop the ANC from gaining a twothirds majority.

A transferable vote allows everyone to choose their ideal representative (these numbers are published), to shout their truth even when there’s little chance of getting elected.

This is perfect democracy – or as close as the world has ever come to it.

Also, puppies for everyone!