How are police and crime commissioners elected? Supplementary voting system explained as Conservatives lead in Hampshire election

Today, the votes are being counted for Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner, who will work to hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of Hampshire Constabulary.

The first declaration has been made in Fareham, and Conservative candidate and former Portsmouth City Council leader Donna Jones appears to have taken an early lead.

Ms Jones received 20,136 votes from the area, almost 15,000 more than her nearest rival, former police officer Steve James-Bailey, representing Hampshire Independents.

The final declaration is due to be made at 3pm in Southampton Guildhall.

Voted for every four years, the police and crime commissioner elections are run using a supplementary vote (SV) system.

This means that on May 6, voters marked two columns for a first choice and second choice candidate.

A second choice is not compulsory, and voters an choose the same candidate as their first and second choice.

In this system, the first choice votes are counted first and if any candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the vote, they are declared the winner.

If not, the top two candidates go through to a second round, where the second choice votes are counted and whoever has the most votes, wins.

The SV system is only used in police and crime commissioner and electoral mayor elections in the UK.

For Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner election, the provisional turnout has been listed at 36.19 per cent.

In the past four years, the post has been held by Michael Lane, representing the Conservative Party.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for 27p a day.