Our system for voting is complex, and it's easy to misunderstand.

I'll be out of town on Saturday morning, so I've voted already. When I ran the gauntlet of the candidates' supporters earlier this week, I was disappointed how many how-to-vote cards for the mayoral election urged people to only place a 1 in the box next to the candidate of their choice, and then not fill-in any other squares.

If you do that, there's a real chance your vote will play no part in determining our new mayor.

It's simple. If you vote 1 for someone who doesn't finish in the top two, and you haven't added any other numbers, your vote will play no part in determining the outcome.

When it comes to the ballot for the mayoral election, to be safe, fill-in all ten squares with numbers. To be clear, it is a legal vote if you only write 1 next to one name. It's just that if you want to make sure your vote has the best chance of making a difference, fill in all ten.

There's an idea about, that 'If I write 1 next to one name, the vote-counters will allocate preferences according to some mysterious instructions they've been given by the candidates'. Nup, it's a myth. There are no such instructions in local council elections (Or state for that matter).

They'll only count according to the numbers you write on your ballot paper. If you want your preferences to be distributed, it’s up to you to tell them your preferences so they can distribute them.

It’s the same for the councillor ballot paper, that one with 88 names on it.

If you want to make sure your vote plays a part in electing all eleven councillors, instead of just a few, vote below the line and then please fill-in more numbers. Writing numbers in order of who you prefer for at least twenty candidates would be better than six. Thirty would be even better. It's up to you.