a) | The returning officer shall count the papers in each such parcel and shall credit each candidate with a number of votes equal to the number of valid papers on which a first preference has been recorded for that candidate. |
b) | If the vote for any one candidate equals or exceeds the votes of all the other candidates combined, that candidate shall be declared elected. |
c) | i. | If not, the returning officer shall exclude together the two or more candidates with the least votes if the total vote of such two or more candidates does not exceed the vote of the candidate next above, otherwise he/she shall exclude the candidate having the fewest votes |
| ii. | The papers of the excluded candidates shall be transferred to whichever of the continuing candidates is marked by that voter as his/her next available preference, and the votes thus transferred shall be added to the first preference votes of those candidates. |
| iii. | Any paper on which no further preference is marked shall be set aside as non-transferable and the total of such papers shall be recorded. |
| iv. | This process shall be continued until the vote for some one candidate exceeds or equals the votes for all other continuing candidates combined, and that candidate shall then be declared elected. |