Worked example of Mayoral poll
50.There are four candidates, A, B, C, and D. Counting the first preference votes gives the following result.
| Candidate | Votes |
| A | 900,000 |
| B | 600,000 |
| C | 1,100.000 |
| D | 400,000 |
| Spoilt papers | 10,000 |
| Total ballot papers | 3,010,000 |
51.Candidates A and C remain in the contest and candidates B and D are eliminated. The second preference votes of candidates B and D are then examined, revealing the following choices.
| Candidate | Votes |
| A | 550,000 |
| C | 300,000 |
| Other | 150,000 |
| Total | 1,000,000 |
Note: "Other" includes papers where the second preference vote was spoilt, unclear or not recorded or where the vote was for one of candidates B or D.
The final vote is therefore -
| First preference | Second preference | Total |
| A 900,000 | 550,000 | 1,450,000 |
| C 1,100,000 | 300,000 | 1,400,000 |
And candidate A is returned as Mayor.
