March 2020 Daragonian judicial election
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The March 2020 Daragonian judicial elections are the first elections in the countries history. Currently there are only 2 candidates running. There are 3 positions on the Judicial Council to be filled so as of now they are both guaranteed a seat.
Procedure
Electoral system
The justices shall be elected via the single transferable vote (STV). An electoral commission headed by the Primier, Pendriag and leader of the opposition oversaw the tallying of the votes.
Background
The March 2020 judicial elections were the first elections in Daragonian history, thus their historical relevance is quite lasting. There are 4 candidates running, Abraham Keefe, Andrew West, Archibald Sinclair, and Larry Lowe. As there are 3 positions to be filled in the Daragonian High Court, a majority of them won a seat.
Endorsements
Republican Weekly
Republican Weekly, the official newspaper of the Republican Peoples Party, endorsed Abraham Keefe as their first candidate. The Party also encouraged to vote for Andrew West as their second candidate.
theRedStar
theRedStar, a Daragonian newspaper, endorsed its founder, writer, and editor, Abraham Keefe. They also encouraged Andrew West and any other candidates to run so as to guarantee a more interesting race. They later produced a ten-point list of reasons to vote for Abraham.
Campaigning
Abraham L. Keefe
Abraham Keefe campaigned on a broad range of issues, including but not limited to his connections, endorsements, experience, impartiality, and "commitment to enforcing social justice." Abraham had interviews on both The Daily Bean, a satirical radio show, and Radio Larry, in which he mostly discussed unrelated topics to the campaign.
Andrew West
Andrew West was the second candidate to enter the race. He campaigned on a platform to protect the Daragonian constitution from outside threats, describing himself as "an independent liberal choice."
Archibald Sinclair
Archibald Sinclair, previously a member of the Conservative Party, entered the race later on. His campaign was predicated on Sinclair's firmly held religious convictions, for equality before the law, punishment and forgiveness, representing this as a guarantee for stability in the days ahead.
Larry Lowe
As a non-Custodian, radio host Larry Lowe entered the race late on after internal deliberation by current Custodians as to whether he'd be allowed to run. Larry championed his kind reputation and non-partisan affiliations in his campaign.
Polling
Online polls
| Pollster | Release date | Abraham Keefe | Andrew West | Archibald Sinclair | Larry Lowe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABCD English | 20/03/2020 | 54.5% | 45.5% | N/A | N/A |
| ABCD Scots | 23/03/2020 | 40% | 40% | 20% | N/A |
| ABCD Gàidhlig | 23/03/2020 | 71.43% | 28.57% | 0% | N/A |
Results
| Candidate | First Round Percentage | Final Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Abraham Leonard Keefe | 50% | 50% |
| Andrew West | 38% | 38% |
| Larry Lowe | 0% | 33% |
| Archibald Sinclair | 6% | 29% |
In the first round, both Abraham Keefe and Andrew West reached the necessary quota, and gained their spots on the council. After their excess votes were proportionally redistributed, Larry Lowe gained the third and final position on the Judicial Council, after a close and complex vote count. The overall turnout was 67%, and 6% of voters spoilt their ballots.