Electoral system for national legislature

Montserrat, Election Act 2008, accessed 10 September 2019

5. The Island of Montserrat shall constitute a single electorate.

6. (1) The nine persons receiving the highest number of votes cast, which number shall not be less than six per centum per person of the total number of votes cast at a general election of members of the Council, shall be the members of the Council.

(2) Where nine persons receiving the highest number of votes do not all receive at least six per centum of the votes cast—

(a) those persons who received at least six per centum of the votes cast shall be declared elected to be members of the Council;

(b) and all the others may stand once more within 21 days along with all the remaining candidates for the seats still unfilled in the Council and the persons receiving the highest number of votes cast, not being less than six per centum, shall be declared elected to the seats still to be filled.

Article 40(3) The voter on receiving the ballot paper shall forthwith enter one of the polling compartments in the polling station and there mark his ballot paper by marking with a black lead pencil and not otherwise a cross within the space opposite the name of the candidate for whom he intends to vote, and he shall then fold the ballot paper as directed so that the initials and the numbers on the counterfoil can be seen without opening it, and hand the paper to the presiding officer who shall, without unfolding it, ascertain by examination of the initials and numbers appearing thereon that it is the same paper as that delivered to the voter and, if the same, he shall in full view of the voter and of all others present remove the counterfoil and deposit the ballot in the ballot box.

Article 46(2) After all the ballot boxes have been received they shall be opened for the count of votes and in the presence of such of the candidates or their agents, and if the candidates or any of them are absent, then in the presence of such as are present, and of at least two voters if none of the candidates is represented, by the returning officer, and the returning officer shall— [… ]

(b) reject all ballot papers—

(i) which have not been marked for any candidate; 


(ii) on which votes have been given for more candidates than there are seats to be filled; 


(iii) upon which there is any writing or mark by which the voter could be identified, but no ballot paper shall be rejected on account of any writing, number or mark placed thereon by any presiding officer. 


This system is TRS using BV. There are nine vacancies. Candidates require 6 per cent to be declared elected. If less than nine are elected in the first round, a second round is held with no threshold.