Electoral quota
Also called: Droop quota · Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Election and Representation"
Meaning
The electoral quota is the number of votes a candidate needs to win a seat under the single transferable vote (STV), a system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. The formula is: quota = [total votes ÷ (seats + 1)] + 1. A candidate who reaches the quota is elected. Extra votes beyond the quota pass to the voters' next choices. The quota is set so that no more candidates can reach it than there are seats.
Example
In Rajasthan, 200 MLAs elect 4 Rajya Sabha members. So 200 ÷ (4 + 1) = 40, and 40 + 1 = 41. Any candidate with 41 first-preference votes is elected.
Don't confuse with
- Electoral threshold: the minimum vote share a party needs to win any seat under list PR, such as 3.25% in Israel. The quota is the vote count a candidate needs to win one seat.
Related concepts
- Single transferable vote
- Election of Rajya Sabha members
- Open ballot
- Kuldip Nayar case
- Shailesh Manubhai Parmar case
- Cross-voting
- Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act 1952