If you are reading this, you have probably been invited to vote in an election run on SimpleVote. You do not need an account or a password. Your returning officer sends you a personal link by email; you open it once, rank the candidates, and submit. That is the whole process.
What is STV?
Most SimpleVote elections use STV (Single Transferable Vote), a ranked system where you put candidates in order of preference instead of picking just one. Your first choice is the person you most want elected; your second choice is who you would prefer if your first choice cannot win, and so on.
Ranking more names does not hurt your first choice. It simply gives your vote another path to count if your top preference is eliminated or elected with more votes than needed.
Using your magic link
Check your inbox for an email from your returning officer. It contains a personal link that opens your ballot. The link works once only, so open it when you are ready to vote on a private device and do not forward it to anyone else.
Some elections have more than one ballot. For example, separate contests for different roles. If yours does, you will rank candidates separately for each ballot before submitting.
Ranking candidates on the ballot
On the voting page, drag candidates from the list on the left into your ranked list on the right. Put your favourite first. You do not have to rank every candidate; leaving someone unranked is fine.
- 1st preference: your first choice
- 2nd preference: your next choice if your first is eliminated or has surplus votes
- Continue ranking as far as you wish
When you are happy with your ranking, submit the ballot. You should see a confirmation that your vote has been recorded.
What happens to your vote
After voting closes, the returning officer runs the STV count. If your first choice is elected with more votes than the seat requires, the surplus transfers to your second choice at a reduced value. If your first choice is eliminated, your vote moves to your next preference. This continues until all seats are filled.
You do not need to understand the maths to vote correctly. The important part is ranking honestly in the order you prefer.
Privacy
SimpleVote stores your ranking without tying it to your identity. The returning officer can see turnout statistics (how many people have voted) but cannot see how you ranked candidates. Your magic link is invalidated as soon as you submit.
Open the link in your invitation email to cast your vote. If something goes wrong (a broken link, a missing email, or a question about the ballot), contact your returning officer directly. Do not share your link with anyone else.