| Codebook | |||||||||
| for the file dataset.xls - (Data on Maltese General Elections) | |||||||||
| The file contains 4,080 records, one for each candidacy (and for non-transferable votes) | |||||||||
| Each record has 74 variables | |||||||||
| Excel | |||||||||
| Column | |||||||||
| A | NAME | An alphanumeric variable, showing the candidate's actual name | |||||||
| B | RECORD | Unique five-digit canse/record number | |||||||
| (the first two digits indicate the election year) | |||||||||
| C | ID | Candidate's unique four-digit identification number | |||||||
| 9999 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| D | YEAR | Election year | |||||||
| E | DIST | Number of the Election District | |||||||
| F | REG | Number of registered voters in the District | |||||||
| Note: For the years 1921 to 1945, the data are available only | |||||||||
| for national totals. At the District level, therefore, only estimated | |||||||||
| figures can be given. These estimates assume that, in these | |||||||||
| early elections, abstentions and invalid votes occurred in equal | |||||||||
| proportions in all Districts. | |||||||||
| G | VOTE | Number of valid votes cast in the District | |||||||
| H | QUOTA | The District quota | |||||||
| I | SEATS | Number of seats to be filled in the District | |||||||
| J | COUNTS | Number of counts conducted in the District | |||||||
| K | CAND | Total number of candidates from all parties competing in the District | |||||||
| L | OWN | Number of candidates from this candidate's party who are competing in the District | |||||||
| M | PTOTAL | Party Total: Number of first-count votes for all candidates of the candidate's party | |||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| N | PSIZE | Party Size: Percentage of the first-count votes obtained in the District | |||||||
| by all candidates of this candidate's party | |||||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| O | PSEATS | Party Seats: Number of seats won in the District by this candidate's party | |||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes, or no seats won | |||||||||
| CANDIDATE VARIABLES: ATTRIBUTES, EXPERIENCE AND FUTURE | |||||||||
| P | SEX | 1 = Male; 2 = Female. 99 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||
| TITLE | 0 = n/a (unknown or uncategorized); 1 = M.D.; 2 = Legal profession; | ||||||||
| Q | 3 = Pharmacist; 4 = Unspecified professsional ("Dr." or "Prof."); | ||||||||
| 5 = Architect or engineer; 6 = Ecclesiastic; 7 = Military; 8 = Nobility | |||||||||
| 99 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| The information on occupations and professions is quite sparse | |||||||||
| and occasionally contradictory. This explains in part at least | |||||||||
| the frequency of the 0 category. | |||||||||
| PARTY | The candidate's political party: | ||||||||
| R | 11 = Constitutionalist Party | 12 = Democratic Nationalist Party (1924) | |||||||
| 13 = Malta Labour Party | 14 = Maltese Political Union | ||||||||
| 15 = Nationalist Party | 16 = Jones Party | ||||||||
| 17 = Democratic Action Party | 18 = Gozo Party | ||||||||
| 19 = Maltese Workers Party | 20 = Progressive Constitutionalist | ||||||||
| 21 = Christian Workers Party | 22 = Democratic Nationalist Party (1962/66) | ||||||||
| 23 = Communist Party | 24 = Democratic Party | ||||||||
| 26 = Democratic Christian Party | 27 = Independent Labour | ||||||||
| 28 = Alternattiva Demokratika | 29 = Azzjoni Nazzjonali | ||||||||
| 30 = Imperium Europa | 31 = Forza Malta | ||||||||
| 32 = Alpha Liberali Demokratiku | 33 = Gozitan Party | ||||||||
| 99 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| INCUMB | Incumbency | ||||||||
| S | 0 = Candidate did not serve in the preceding legislature | ||||||||
| 1 = Candidate served in the preceding legislature | |||||||||
| 99 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| AGAIN | Number of elections in which the candidate has competed | ||||||||
| T | 1 = Candidate's first electoral contest | ||||||||
| 2 = Candidate's second electoral contest etc. | |||||||||
| 0 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| Note: The elections in which the candidate competed are not necessarily | |||||||||
| consecutive ones | |||||||||
| LOCAL | Prior participation in local local council elections | ||||||||
| U | 0 = No | ||||||||
| 1 = Yes | |||||||||
| -1 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| -1 = Not applicable because there were no local elections before 1993 | |||||||||
| PRIOR | Years of legislative service previously completed by the candidate, cumulatively | ||||||||
| V | -1 = Non-transferable votes | ||||||||
| Note: Legislative service only counts the time between the election and | |||||||||
| the dissolution of the legislature, but not any intervals between elections. | |||||||||
| DEPART | Candidates who left the legislature before the end of the legislative term | ||||||||
| W | 0 = Served the full term (this is assumed for the current term) | ||||||||
| 1 = Resigned; 2 = Died | |||||||||
| 99 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| X | Q-SHARE | Quota Share: Candidate's first-count votes as a percentage of the District quota | |||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| Q-ORDER | Ranked order of quota shares: Indicates the candidate's rank, among all | ||||||||
| Y | candidates in the District, in the share of the quota obtained on the first count | ||||||||
| 1 = Highest quota share; 2 = Second highest quota share; etc. | |||||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| P-SHARE | Party Share; Candidate's first-count votes, as a percentage of his/her | ||||||||
| Z | party's total votes in the District | ||||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| P-ORDER | Ranked order of party candidates: Indicates the candidate's rank, among all | ||||||||
| AA | of his/her candidates in the District, in obtaining a share of the quota. | ||||||||
| 1 = Highest quota share; 2 = Second highest quota share; etc. | |||||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| BALLOT1 | Candidate's ballot position, regardless of party | ||||||||
| AB | 1 = Top ballot position | ||||||||
| 2 = Second ballot position, etc. | |||||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| 99 = Irrelevant since 1976 | |||||||||
| From 1921 to 1971, all candidates were listed on the ballot alphabetically, | |||||||||
| regardless of their party. Since 1976, they have been grouped by party | |||||||||
| and listed alphabetically within their group. Thus, the BALLOT1 variable | |||||||||
| becomes irrelevant for the later elections and is coded "99". | |||||||||
| BALLOT2 | Candidate's ballot position within the candidate's party slate | ||||||||
| AC | 1 = Top ballot position | ||||||||
| 2 = Second ballot position, etc. | |||||||||
| 0 = Non-transferable votes | |||||||||
| AD | DUAL | Dual Candidacy: If the candidate was also a candidate in another District, | |||||||
| then that other District's number is indicated here. | |||||||||
| 99 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| AE | IN-OUT | The count on which the candidate was either elected or eliminated | |||||||
| 99 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| WIN | The order in which a candidate was elected | ||||||||
| AF | 0 = Not elected | ||||||||
| 1 = Elected first in the District | |||||||||
| 2 = Elected second in the District; etc. | |||||||||
| 99 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| FILL-IN | Acquisition of a seat which had been vacated because a candidate had won a seat | ||||||||
| AG | in two Districts and another candidate was subsequently chosen to fill the seat | ||||||||
| through a "casual [bye-] election. | |||||||||
| - 1 = Vacated seat that had been won first in the District | |||||||||
| -2 = Vacated seat that had been won second in the District | |||||||||
| etc. | |||||||||
| + 1 = Filled a seat that had been won first in the District | |||||||||
| + 2 = Filled a seat that had been won second in the District | |||||||||
| etc. | |||||||||
| + 9 = Filled a seat in order to give the party with a majority of the first-counts votes | |||||||||
| also a majority of parliamentary seats. (Sec. 52 of the Constitution) | |||||||||
| 0 = Seat neither vacated nor acquired by casual election | |||||||||
| 99 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| SEATED | 0 = Candidate neither won nor was chosen in a by-election. Also, a candidate who | ||||||||
| AH | won in two Districts and opted to vacated THIS seat. | ||||||||
| 1 = Candidate won or was chosen in a casual election or, having won two seats, | |||||||||
| opted to RETAIN this seat. | |||||||||
| 2 = Was elected during a parliamentary term to replace a Member who resigned | |||||||||
| or died | |||||||||
| 99 = Non transferable votes | |||||||||
| TERM | For elected candidates, the length of the legislative term, measured from the time | ||||||||
| AI | of the election to the dissolution of Parliament. In years and fractions thereof. | ||||||||
| 0 = Members of the current (2008) Parliament (as well all unelected candidates) | |||||||||
| AJ | TOPS | The candidate's highest vote total on any count | |||||||
| AK | LAST | The candidate's vote total on the last count | |||||||
| CT1 | Candidate's number of votes on the first count | ||||||||
| AL | CT2 | Candidate's number of votes on the second count | |||||||
| to | CT3 | Candidate's number of votes on the third count | |||||||
| BV | to | etc. to: | |||||||
| CT37 | Candidate's number of votes on the thirty-seventh count | ||||||||
| The maximum number of needed counts has been 37. | |||||||||
| To preserve the rectangular shape of this dataset, each record extends | |||||||||
| to the 37th count, with each unneeded count indicated thus ---> | n/a | ||||||||