Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00152:section:273:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00152
Segment Type: section
Provision Reference: s 273 (pt 2/10)
Character Range: 543755–546469

the Australian Electoral Officer for the State that includes the Division as soon as practicable, together with the statements made by the Divisional Returning Officer.
 (4) An Australian Electoral Officer must:
 (a) scrutinise all ballot papers received by him or her under paragraph (3)(d); and
 (b) reject any informal ballot papers; and
 (c) make, sign and keep a record of the preferences on the ballot papers that have been received by him or her (including informal ballot papers, and formal ballot papers that are not sequentially numbered).
 (7) Where, for the purposes of the succeeding provisions of this section:
 (a) the number of ballot papers or votes in any category is required to be ascertained;
 (b) a quota, a transfer value or the order of standing of continuing candidates in a poll is required to be determined; or
 (c) a candidate is required to be identified;
the Australian Electoral Officer for the State shall ascertain the number, determine the quota, transfer value or order, or identify the candidate, as the case may be.
 (8) The number of first preference votes given for each candidate and the total number of all such votes shall be ascertained and a quota shall be determined by dividing the total number of first preference votes by 1 more than the number of candidates required to be elected and by increasing the quotient so obtained (disregarding any remainder) by 1, and any candidate who has received a number of first preference votes equal to or greater than the quota shall be elected.
 (9) Unless all the vacancies have been filled, the number (if any) of votes in excess of the quota (in this section referred to as surplus votes) of each elected candidate shall be transferred to the continuing candidates as follows:
 (a) the number of surplus votes of the elected candidate shall be divided by the number of first preference votes received by the candidate and the resulting fraction shall be the transfer value;
 (b) the total number of ballot papers of the elected candidate that express the first preference vote for that candidate and the next available preference for a particular continuing candidate shall be multiplied by the transfer value, the number so obtained (disregarding any fraction) shall be added to the number of first preference votes of the continuing candidate and all those ballot papers shall be transferred to the continuing candidate;
and any continuing candidate who has received a number of votes equal to or greater than the quota on the completion of any such transfer shall be elected.
 (10) Unless all the vacancies have been filled, the surplus votes (if any) of any candidate elected under subsection (9), or elected subsequently