Many thanks.  Ireland also operates a single transferable vote in a multi seat constituency system for its main lower house of Parliament.  I's not quite as complicated as the Australian system in that you only have to give a preference 1,2,3,4... to as many candidates as you want - not all the candidates on the ballot paper.  Also the number of candidates is generally less as you have to pay a deposit which you only get back if you secure a certain minimum number of votes - to discourage frivolous candidates.  Its generally quite a good system to ensure a mix of candidates from a variety of parties and independents with strong local connections - and avoiding the simple 2 party systems that straight voting systems tend to create.  It certainly keeps the political pundits engrossed as all sorts of cross party and cross locations , gender and other factors come into play.

Index of Frank's Diaries