GCEGovernmentPolitical Parties and Electoral Systems2020

In an election conducted under the alternative vote (preferential voting) system, four candidates — P, Q, R, and S — receive first-preference votes as follows: P = 45%, Q = 30%, R = 15%, S = 10%. No candidate has an absolute majority. The candidate with the fewest votes (S) is eliminated and all of S's votes transfer to P. What is P's new total?

A45%
B55%CORRECT
C60%
D75%
AI
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Why the answer is B, and why the others tempt you.
Under the alternative vote system, when S (10%) is eliminated and all of S's transferred votes go to P, P's new total becomes 45% + 10% = 55%. This gives P an absolute majority (over 50%) and P is declared the winner. Option A ignores the transferred votes; C and D represent arithmetic errors and are plausible distractors.
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