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Let me see if I can explain this in a way that can be followed. I realize the voting system is complicated.
I've got more but let me concentrate on this bit first because it's probably the bit where peoples votes can make more of a difference.
The way the list votes work, is that the votes won are divided by 1 + the number of constituency seats won. I've used percentages because it simply shows what percentage a new party entering would need to poll to win a seat.
In this example, from year 2016, SNP won 6 seats, and the Tory, Labour and Lib Dems all won 1 seat.
This means that in the first seat column the percentage share is divided as follows:
SNP 36.23% divided by (1 + 6) = 5.18%
Conservative 22.91% divided by (1+1) = 11.46%
Labour 20.78% divided by (1+1)= 10.39%
Lib Dems 5.65% divided by (1+1) = 2.82%
Every other Party's percentage is divided by 1 because they never won any constituency seats.
Whichever party has the highest percentage at this point wins the list seat, and their dividing factor is added to by one.
For example in seat one the tories have the highest percentage 11.46%, so that means for seat 2 their dividing factor becomes 22.91% divided by (1+2) because they have now won another seat. This process runs through the seven seats until all are allocated.
In this example from 2016 this means for the Lothian region the Total seats allocated for Constituency and list is:
SNP 6
Tory 4
Lab 3
Green 2
Lib Dem 1
Out of a total of 16
I've got more but let me concentrate on this bit first because it's probably the bit where peoples votes can make more of a difference.
The way the list votes work, is that the votes won are divided by 1 + the number of constituency seats won. I've used percentages because it simply shows what percentage a new party entering would need to poll to win a seat.
In this example, from year 2016, SNP won 6 seats, and the Tory, Labour and Lib Dems all won 1 seat.
This means that in the first seat column the percentage share is divided as follows:
SNP 36.23% divided by (1 + 6) = 5.18%
Conservative 22.91% divided by (1+1) = 11.46%
Labour 20.78% divided by (1+1)= 10.39%
Lib Dems 5.65% divided by (1+1) = 2.82%
Every other Party's percentage is divided by 1 because they never won any constituency seats.
Whichever party has the highest percentage at this point wins the list seat, and their dividing factor is added to by one.
For example in seat one the tories have the highest percentage 11.46%, so that means for seat 2 their dividing factor becomes 22.91% divided by (1+2) because they have now won another seat. This process runs through the seven seats until all are allocated.
In this example from 2016 this means for the Lothian region the Total seats allocated for Constituency and list is:
SNP 6
Tory 4
Lab 3
Green 2
Lib Dem 1
Out of a total of 16
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