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You don't understand the system. Surplus votes are distributed based on preferences, so order does matter because preferences will be different from one ballot to the next. Which ballots fill a candidate's quota determines which preferences don't get assigned.

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The preferences on quota surplus votes are transferred at a fractional value, so every ballot is counted.

It didn't always used to be though - prior to computers, to establish the fractional vote transfers, a "sample" of surplus votes to a quote used to be randomly selected.

Ok, thanks for the correction then. My knowledge of the system was out of date (as is the article I checked it against).

But the fact almost no voter understands it remains an undemocratic feature.

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