Press Release
The Rt Hon Chris Patten, CH, PC, MA, Honorary Fellow of Balliol College, EU
Commissioner for External Relations, has today [Monday 17 March] been named
as Chancellor-elect of the University of Oxford. For the first time in an
Oxford Chancellorship election, the Single Transferable Vote system was used,
with voters able to list candidates in order of preference. In the final
round of counting Mr Patten received 4,203 votes, 1,720 more than the second
placed candidate Lord Bingham of Cornhill.
More than 8,000 members of Convocation cast their votes in Oxford over the
two-day election period on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 March.
Chris Patten was an undergraduate at Balliol College, where he is now an
Honorary Fellow. After becoming the youngest ever Director of the
Conservative Party's Research Department in 1974, he was elected MP for Bath.
He was in the House of Commons from 1979 until April 1992, where he held a
number of Ministerial posts including Minister of State at the Department of
Education and Science, Minister for Overseas Development, Secretary of State
for the Environment, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
From 1990-1992 Mr Patten was Chairman of the Conservative Party. He served as
Governor of Hong Kong from 1992-1997. After the Belfast Peace Agreement he
chaired the Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland in
1998-1999. In 1999 he was appointed EU Commissioner for External Relations.
He has written two books- The Tory Case and East & West. He has been
Chancellor of Newcastle University since 1999 and has seven honorary degrees.
The result was announced at a meeting of Convocation at 10.00am, before the
result was publicly announced by the Senior Proctor, Professor Tim Softley,
and the Junior Proctor, Ms Elizabeth Chapman.
The first preference votes were:
Lord Bingham of Cornhill - 2251
Lord Neill of Bladen - 1290
Mr Chris Patten - 3657
Ms Sandi Toksvig - 1179
Following one round of transfer of votes the final votes counted were:
Lord Bingham of Cornhill - 2483
Lord Neill of Bladen - 1470
Mr Chris Patten - 4203
Arrangements will now be made for the official installation of Mr Patten as
Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
For more information, please contact the University Press Office on 01865
280528.
Notes to Editors:
1. Statement issued by Mr Patten prior to the election [link]
2.. Convocation consists of all the former student members of the University
who have been admitted to a degree (other than an honorary degree) of the
University, and any other persons who are members of Congregation.
3. Convocation has had the right to elect the University's Chancellor since
1367.
4.The last election for the Chancellorship, following the death of the Earl
of Stockton Harold Macmillan, was held in March 1987. Of the 40,000
University members qualified to vote, some 8,300 did so, the highest turn-out
ever recorded. Lord Jenkins was elected with 3,249 votes, beating Sir Edward
Heath and Lord Blake.
The earliest known Chancellor of the University of Oxford was Geoffrey de
Lucy, who held office before 1216, the best known early Chancellor was Robert
Grosseteste (about 1224). Until the death of Cardinal Pole in 1558 the
Chancellor was always an ecclesiastic. Archbishop Sheldon (16679) was the
last churchman to hold the office.
5. Previous Chancellors of the University of Oxford included William Laud
(16301641), Oliver Cromwell (16501657), Gilbert Sheldon (n (16671669),
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1834-1852), and Harold Macmillan (1960
1986).
6. The aim of the STV system is to ensure that the winning candidate has the
broadest possible support rather than simply being the candidate preferred by
the largest minority of voters. Voters are asked to indicate which candidate
they would most wish to see elected, but are also invited to rank the
remaining candidates according to their preferred outcome assuming their
first preference does not win. Initially only first preferences are counted,
and if any candidate has an absolute majority at that stage, he or she is
elected immediately. If there is no outright winner, the candidate who gained
the least first preferences is eliminated from the election. That candidate's
ballots are re-distributed by being added to the tallies for the remaining
candidates according to any second preferences marked on them. If there is
still no candidate with an absolute majority, the new lowest scoring
candidate is eliminated, and ballots again re-distributed. This cycle is
repeated until such time as a candidate has gained an absolute majority, that
is, 50% of the votes plus one.
Commissioner for External Relations, has today [Monday 17 March] been named
as Chancellor-elect of the University of Oxford. For the first time in an
Oxford Chancellorship election, the Single Transferable Vote system was used,
with voters able to list candidates in order of preference. In the final
round of counting Mr Patten received 4,203 votes, 1,720 more than the second
placed candidate Lord Bingham of Cornhill.
More than 8,000 members of Convocation cast their votes in Oxford over the
two-day election period on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 March.
Chris Patten was an undergraduate at Balliol College, where he is now an
Honorary Fellow. After becoming the youngest ever Director of the
Conservative Party's Research Department in 1974, he was elected MP for Bath.
He was in the House of Commons from 1979 until April 1992, where he held a
number of Ministerial posts including Minister of State at the Department of
Education and Science, Minister for Overseas Development, Secretary of State
for the Environment, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
From 1990-1992 Mr Patten was Chairman of the Conservative Party. He served as
Governor of Hong Kong from 1992-1997. After the Belfast Peace Agreement he
chaired the Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland in
1998-1999. In 1999 he was appointed EU Commissioner for External Relations.
He has written two books- The Tory Case and East & West. He has been
Chancellor of Newcastle University since 1999 and has seven honorary degrees.
The result was announced at a meeting of Convocation at 10.00am, before the
result was publicly announced by the Senior Proctor, Professor Tim Softley,
and the Junior Proctor, Ms Elizabeth Chapman.
The first preference votes were:
Lord Bingham of Cornhill - 2251
Lord Neill of Bladen - 1290
Mr Chris Patten - 3657
Ms Sandi Toksvig - 1179
Following one round of transfer of votes the final votes counted were:
Lord Bingham of Cornhill - 2483
Lord Neill of Bladen - 1470
Mr Chris Patten - 4203
Arrangements will now be made for the official installation of Mr Patten as
Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
For more information, please contact the University Press Office on 01865
280528.
Notes to Editors:
1. Statement issued by Mr Patten prior to the election [link]
2.. Convocation consists of all the former student members of the University
who have been admitted to a degree (other than an honorary degree) of the
University, and any other persons who are members of Congregation.
3. Convocation has had the right to elect the University's Chancellor since
1367.
4.The last election for the Chancellorship, following the death of the Earl
of Stockton Harold Macmillan, was held in March 1987. Of the 40,000
University members qualified to vote, some 8,300 did so, the highest turn-out
ever recorded. Lord Jenkins was elected with 3,249 votes, beating Sir Edward
Heath and Lord Blake.
The earliest known Chancellor of the University of Oxford was Geoffrey de
Lucy, who held office before 1216, the best known early Chancellor was Robert
Grosseteste (about 1224). Until the death of Cardinal Pole in 1558 the
Chancellor was always an ecclesiastic. Archbishop Sheldon (16679) was the
last churchman to hold the office.
5. Previous Chancellors of the University of Oxford included William Laud
(16301641), Oliver Cromwell (16501657), Gilbert Sheldon (n (16671669),
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1834-1852), and Harold Macmillan (1960
1986).
6. The aim of the STV system is to ensure that the winning candidate has the
broadest possible support rather than simply being the candidate preferred by
the largest minority of voters. Voters are asked to indicate which candidate
they would most wish to see elected, but are also invited to rank the
remaining candidates according to their preferred outcome assuming their
first preference does not win. Initially only first preferences are counted,
and if any candidate has an absolute majority at that stage, he or she is
elected immediately. If there is no outright winner, the candidate who gained
the least first preferences is eliminated from the election. That candidate's
ballots are re-distributed by being added to the tallies for the remaining
candidates according to any second preferences marked on them. If there is
still no candidate with an absolute majority, the new lowest scoring
candidate is eliminated, and ballots again re-distributed. This cycle is
repeated until such time as a candidate has gained an absolute majority, that
is, 50% of the votes plus one.
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.