If no candidate gets 50% of first preferences, the least popular candidate is eliminated and his second-preference votes are reallocated.

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Mr Howard himself must share part of the blame because he refused to take a stand on the issue of second-preference votes.

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Mr Beazley had gone into the vote buoyed by an opinion poll showing Labor 12 percentage points ahead of the government after the distribution of second-preference votes.

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Out of a mixture of spite and folly, their coalition colleagues in Queensland had urged voters to put Mrs Hanson's party ahead of Labor in their second-preference votes.

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As neither had anywhere near the total of 50% required for an outright win, the count went to a second round, with the second-preference votes of the four eliminated candidates reallocated to the leading pair.

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They claim this principle of "equal votes" would be threatened by a move to AV - where second preference votes given to the candidate with the least support are re-distributed after the initial ballot if no-one gains over 50% of first preference votes.

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He also clashed with the BBC's John Humphrys over the No camp's argument that under AV some people's votes are counted more than others - due to the way second preference votes are redistributed.

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D-Day is the best-remembered event of Britain's second world war, a preference that exemplifies the nation's esteem for improvisation and making-do.

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What's more, if there is a run-off, a carefully considered first preference carries the same weight as more tepid second or even third choices.

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