/h/CoolLight863
Outsider Transferable Vote (OTV)
With today’s news of National ruling out TOP, could it be time to consider a slight tweak to the way we vote so that if a party is appearing on the ballot and is not in the previous parliament, the voter could pick a second party to give their vote to if they fall under the 5% threshold? For example, you might want to vote for TOP but are hesitant because they might not get in, so you give your second choice to the Greens. Could be a net positive, because fewer people would have their vote “wasted” and they would be less hesitant to vote for new parties.
This is a clever surgical fix that keeps the threshold intact while solving the wasted-vote trap. The 100,000 discarded votes in 2020 are a real problem, and OTV gives those voters a voice without letting micro-parties flood Parliament.
This treats voters for new parties as second-class citizens by only giving them a transfer option. Why should a Green Party voter get their full proportional weight while a TOP voter needs a backup plan to be heard? That's an equity gap baked into the design.
Germany's experience with threshold exceptions shows that targeted carve-outs can work without fragmentation. Their 'overhang seats' and direct mandate rules prove you can protect stability while lowering entry barriers—OTV is a cleaner version of that logic.
What stops an established party from gaming this by creating a shell 'new party' to hoover up second-choice votes? The definition of 'new party' would need ironclad rules, or this becomes a loophole factory.
This could unlock real competition and force major parties to engage with fresh ideas on housing and climate. Imagine a Parliament where voters don't have to hold their nose and pick the lesser evil.
The tension here is real: we want to open the door for new voices without inviting chaos. OTV strikes a middle path by honoring the threshold's intent while giving voters a safety net, and that balance deserves a careful trial before full adoption.