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Six candidates fight Western Isles crofters’ election      29/1/12

Six Western Isles candidates have thrown their hat into the ring for the first Crofting Commission elections.

The Western Isles candidates are:

1. Malcolm MacLeod Macdonald, 7 Tobson, Bernera

2. Roderick MacDonald, 480/1 North Lochboisdale, South Uist

3. Murdo MacLennan, 5 Aignis, Stornoway

4. Neil MacLennan, "Ard Grean", Castlebay, Isle of Barra

5. Donald Macrury, c/o Hanover, 45 Borve, Isle of Lewis

6. Donald Manford, 29 Eoligarry, Isle of Barra

The contested elections will be under the Alternative Vote system and conducted by Postal Ballot and the returned ballot papers will be counted in Inverness, Town House on Friday 16 March 2012.

Ballot papers will be posted to all eligible electors (aged 16 years and over) in each of the five constituencies where there is a contest and must be returned by 4pm on Thursday 15 March 2012, if they are to be included in the counting of votes.

Votes will be counted using e-counting technology.  At the first round of the count, a candidate will be successful if he achieves a majority, over all the other candidates combined i.e. 50% + 1, of the valid votes cast in the election. If no one passes the 50% mark at the first round, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and their votes are transferred to the candidates ranked second on their ballot papers. If a ballot paper for an eliminated candidate has no further preferences it cannot be transferred and is removed from the count.

This process continues until a candidate gains a majority over all the other remaining candidates combined i.e. passes the 50% mark of the valid votes remaining in the count at the end of that round. Where there are only two candidates left, the candidate with the highest number of votes, after the re-allocation of all eliminated candidates valid votes, wins the contest.