Single Transferable Vote

British

noun

STV. (modifier) of or relating to a system of voting in which voters list the candidates in order of preference. Any candidate achieving a predetermined proportion of the votes in a constituency is elected. Votes exceeding this amount and those cast for the bottom candidate are redistributed according to the stated preferences. Redistribution continues until all the seats are filled See proportional representation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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The election uses a system of proportional representation known as the Single Transferable Vote.

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025

Party members will be able to vote online from 12:00 using the Single Transferable Vote system.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2023

Thursday's ballot will be held using the Single Transferable Vote under which voters rank their local candidates in order of preference - one, two, three, etc.

From BBC • May 2, 2022

The panel also recommended a change in the voting system, to a proportional method called the Single Transferable Vote.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2017

These elections use a system of proportional representation, known as the Single Transferable Vote, with voters ranking candidates in order of preference.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2016

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023