This is Binomial STV, which means that voters may exclude, as well as elect candidates, if they wish.

There are as many available preferences as there are candidates. (The number of candidates, and therefore the number of preferences, is stated on the ballot paper.)

If the voter prefers more candidates than there are seats, the preferences start to count against, not for, those candidates.

(For example, if there are 12 candidates for 6 seats, preference 7 starts to count against a candidate. And a candidate, given preference 12 is as much an excluded candidate, as preference 1 is an elected candidate.)

Abstentions, signified by a dash,-, count towards leaving a seat vacant. Any, and all, preferences (e.g. from 1 to 12) may be dashed.

(Any candidate, who may receive both an elective quota, and an exclusive quota, has their exclusion or election determined by the Quotient of the exclusion quota to the election quota.)