If I had a list in a party, say 10 people, and I needed to find 25% of that list of people, you could say the answer is 2.5 people.
However, if I had a list of 1 person (go with it), and I needed to find 25% of that list of people, I cannot say the answer is 25% of a person.
Because we exist (as wholes)
So to make this practical. Let's say I want to determine how many seats Party A versus B receives in an election.
Let's say the total number of seats available are 4.There are also 4 voters with only 1 vote each.
We have Party A, which as 3 votes and Party B has 1 vote. If Party A has over 3 candidates, let's say 4 candidates - the top 3 candidates will be selected.
Since Party B only 1 vote they can only be allocated 1 seat. So, this means, they will get the last remaining vote.
I would sum this up with this formula:
NumberOfSeatsAllocatedtoParty = (CountofVotes/TotalNumberofVoters) * NumberofSeatsToFill
(For Party A)
x = 3/4 * 4
x = 3
(For Party B)
x = 1/4 *4
x=1
Makes sense right?
Ok, however, let's assume there are only 2 positions to fill (not 4) Again here is the formula
NumberOfSeatsAllocatedtoParty = (CountofVotes/TotalNumberofVoters) * NumberofSeatsToFill
(For Party A)
x = 3/4 * 2
x = 1
(For Party B)
x = 1/4 * 2
x = .5
Therein lies the problem, I cannot allocate half a person. Sure I can round up in this example, but should we always? What if x = .2 for example.
My gut instinct is to always have minimum members in a party, but I would like the flexibility just in case.
Any pointers much appreciated.