document_title: Electoral system of Australia

question_text: who determines who the government will be in australia

question_tokens: who determines who the government will be in australia

text: Electoral system of Australia

text: Voter registration[edit]

text: A person can only vote if enrolled on the appropriate electoral roll.

text: Electoral rolls[edit]

text: The earliest electoral roll in Australia dates to the 1840s, for the then colony of New South Wales.

text: Following federation in 1901, State electoral rolls were used for federal elections until a Commonwealth electoral roll was compiled. A permanent Commonwealth electoral roll was compiled in 1908. For some years afterwards, the States also compiled their own State electoral rolls, but these have now been discontinued except for Western Australia which maintains a separate electoral roll. Since 1984, the Commonwealth electoral roll has been compiled and maintained by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

text: State and local elections are today based upon the Commonwealth electoral roll, maintained under joint roll arrangements.[2] though each state and territory regulates its own part of the electoral roll. The one enrolment application or update form can be used for Commonwealth, state and local rolls (except in Western Australia).

text: The electoral roll is compiled on a state/territory-wide basis, in alphabetical order of surname. Until 1988 electoral rolls were compiled by polling division and sub-division. Lord Howe Island is recorded as part of New South Wales, while the Cocos Islands and Christmas Island are recorded on the Northern Territory roll.

text: Enrolment of electors[edit]

text: Australian citizens over 18 years of age are required to enroll if they have lived at their current address for at least one month. Special rules apply to citizens going or living outside the country,[3] to military personnel and to prisoners, all of which do not reside at their normal residential address for electoral purposes. Homeless people or those otherwise with no fixed address have a particular problem with registration, not having a current address to give. Enrolment has been compulsory for federal elections since 1925[4]. Enrolment is optional for 16 or 17 year olds but they cannot vote until they turn 18.[5] Enrolment is voluntary for residents of Norfolk Island. Residents in Australia who had been enrolled as British subjects in 1984 (ie., are non-citizens) can continue to be enrolled. (These comprise about 9% of the electoral roll.)

text: If a change of address causes an individual to move to another electorate (electoral division), they are legally obliged to notify the AEC within 8 weeks. The AEC monitors house and apartment sales and sends a reminder (and the forms) to new residents if they have moved to another electorate, making compliance with the law easier. The AEC conducts periodic door-to-door and postal campaigns to try to ensure that all eligible persons are registered in the correct electorate.

text: An individual has 8 weeks after turning 18 to register and the 8 week period also applies to update of details. Failure to enroll or update details can incur a fine.[6] However, citizens who later enroll themselves are protected from prosecution for not enrolling in the previous years by section 101(7) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.[7] Nevertheless, about 1.3 million people otherwise eligible to vote had not been enrolled prior to the 2013 federal election, about one-third of which were aged between 18 and 24.[8] At June 2014 there were 14.9 million electors on the roll, and the number not enrolled was 1.2 million, making a "participation rate" of 92.3% (14.9 / (14.9 + 1.2 = 16.1) ).[9]

text: Each state and territory can regulate its own part of the Commonwealth electoral roll. For example, New South Wales has adopted the "Smart Roll" system, introduced in 2009, which draws information from various government departmental sources and enrolls eligible electors automatically on to the state roll, but not the federal roll.[10] A protection in Section 101 (8) exists for offences prior to enrolment (including failure to enroll) for those enrolled in such a way by the Electoral Commissioner. Anyone serving a prison sentence of 3 years or more is removed from the federal roll, and must to re-enrol upon release; but in Victoria, a person is struck off the roll if serving a prison sentence of 5 years, so that a person serving a term of 3–5 years, is removed from the federal roll but not the state roll.[11] The qualification of an elector for local government elections generally do not require that they be Australian citizens.

text: Closing of electoral roll before an election[edit]

text: Federal and state electoral rolls are closed for new enrolments or update of details before each election. For federal elections they are closed about a week after the issue of writs for election,[12][13] which must be issued within 10 days of the dissolution or expiration of the House of Representatives. For the 2016 election, that was 38 days before election day.[13] Historically, most new applications and updates are received after an election is called, before the closing of rolls.

text: In 1984 a change to the Commonwealth Electoral Act allowed for a closing date for the lodgement of changes to the electoral roll before an election. The period during which new enrolments and update of details could be made was set at seven days after an election is called. Many people either enrol or change their enrolment details in this period. For example, prior to the 2004 federal election 423,993 changes to enrolment received before the roll closing date. Of these, 78,816 were new enrolments and 225,314 were changes of address.[14]

text: In 2006 new laws passed in time for the 2007 federal election,[15] reducing the period for new enrolments from 7 days to 8 pm on the same business day as the issue of the writs, and until 8 pm on the third business day after the issue of the writs for the update of address details.[16] To give new voters more time to enroll for the 2007 election, the writs were issued three days after the election was announced. During these three days, 77,000 new enrolment applications were received.[17] On 6 August 2010, the High Court in Rowe v Electoral Commissioner ruled that the 2006 amendment was invalid, extending the close of rolls by one week, allowing additional eligible voters to enroll and vote in the 2010 federal election.[18] Supplementary lists of additional voters were distributed to polling places, and these voters were also contacted by the AEC via postal mail.[18]

text: The closing dates vary for state and territory elections.

text: Public funding of political parties[edit]

text: To receive federal public funding, a political party must be registered under the Electoral Act, which requires that they have at least 500 members. All nominations for party-endorsed candidates must be signed by the Registered Officer of a registered party. The name of registered parties appear on ballot papers. Separate registers of parties are maintained for each state and territory, with their own membership requirements.

text: To receive public funding, a candidate (party-endorsed or independent) must receive at least 4% of the first preference vote in the division or the state or territory they contested.[19]

text: Nomination[edit]

text: Candidates for either house must formally nominate with the Electoral Commission. The nomination for a party-endorsed candidate must be signed by the Registered Officer of a party registered under the Electoral Act. Fifty signatures of eligible voters are required for an independent candidate.

text: A deposit of $1000 is required for a candidate for the House of Representatives, and $2000 for a candidate for the Senate. This deposit is refunded if the candidate gains at least 4% of first preference votes.

text: Conduct of elections[edit]

text: Federal elections and referendums are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

text: State and local government elections are overseen by separate Electoral Commissions in each state and territory, as follows:

text:
New South Wales — New South Wales Electoral Commission
Queensland — Electoral Commission of Queensland
Victoria — Victorian Electoral Commission
South Australia — Electoral Commission of South Australia
Tasmania — Tasmanian Electoral Commission
Western Australia — Western Australian Electoral Commission
Northern Territory — Northern Territory Electoral Commission, and
Australian Capital Territory — Australian Capital Territory Electoral Commission.

text: Voting system[edit]

text: Election day[edit]

text: The date and type of federal election is determined by the Prime Minister — after a consideration of constitutional requirements, legal requirements, as well as political considerations — who advises the Governor-General to set the process in motion by dissolving the lower or both houses and issuing writs for election. Some state elections are statutorily determined while others are determined by the respective state premiers. By federal law, state elections cannot take place on the same day as a federal election, which takes precedence if there is conflict. Federal elections have been held on a Saturday since the 1913 federal election.[20] In Victoria elections have been held on a Saturday since the 1927 state election.

text: Compulsory voting[edit]

text: Compulsory voting was introduced for the Queensland state election in 1915, at the federal level in 1924, and Victoria introduced it for the Legislative Assembly at the 1927 state election and for Legislative Council elections in 1935.[21] New South Wales and Tasmania introduced compulsory voting in 1928, Western Australia in 1936 and South Australia in 1942.[22] In South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia voting at local elections is not compulsory.[23] Australia enforces compulsory voting.[24] About 5% of enrolled voters fail to vote at most elections. People in this situation are asked to explain their failure to vote. If no satisfactory reason is provided (for example, illness or religious prohibition), a fine of up to $170 is imposed,[25] and failure to pay the fine may result in a court hearing and additional costs.

text: The immediate justification for compulsory voting at the federal level was the low voter turnout (59.38%)[26] at the 1922 federal election, down from 71.59% at the 1919 federal election. Compulsory voting was not on the platform of either the Stanley Bruce-led Nationalist/Country party coalition government or the Matthew Charlton-led Labor opposition. The actual initiative for change was made by Herbert Payne, a backbench Tasmanian Nationalists senator who on 16 July 1924 introduced a private member's bill in the Senate. Payne's bill was passed with little debate (the House of Representatives agreeing to it in less than an hour), and in neither house was a division required, hence no votes were recorded against the bill.[27] It received Royal Assent on 31 July 1924 as the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1924.[28] The 1925 federal election was the first to be conducted under compulsory voting, which saw the turnout figure rise to 91.4%. The turnout increased to about 95% within a couple of elections and has stayed at about that level since. Compulsory voting at referendums was considered when a referendum was proposed in 1915, but, as the referendum was never held, the idea was put on hold.[26]

text: It is an offence to "mislead an elector in relation to the casting of his vote". An "informal vote" is a ballot paper that does not indicate a clear voting preference, is left blank, or carries markings that might identify the voter.[29] The number of informal votes is counted but, in the determination of voter preferences, they are not included in the total number of (valid) votes cast. Around 95% of registered voters attend polling, and around 5% of House of Representatives votes are informal.[30][31]

text: When compulsory voting was introduced in Victoria in 1926 for the Legislative Assembly, the turnout increased from 59.24% at the 1924 state election to 91.76% at the 1927 state election, but the informal vote increased from 1.01% in 1924 to 1.94% in 1927. But when it was introduced for the Legislative Council in 1937, the turnout increased from 10% to only 46%.

text: Debate over compulsory voting[edit]

text: Following the 2004 federal election, at which the Liberal-National coalition government won a majority in both houses, a senior minister, Senator Nick Minchin, said that he favoured the abolition of compulsory voting. Some prominent Liberals, such as Petro Georgiou, former chair of the Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, have spoken in favour of compulsory voting.[citation needed]

text: Peter Singer, in Democracy and Disobedience, argues that compulsory voting could negate the obligation of a voter to support the outcome of the election, since voluntary participation in elections is deemed to be one of the sources of the obligation to obey the law in a democracy.[citation needed] In 1996 Albert Langer was jailed for three weeks on contempt charges in relation to a constitutional challenge on a legal way not to vote for either of the major parties. Chong, Davidson and Fry, writing in the journal of the right wing think tank the CIS, argue that Australian compulsory voting is disreputable, paternalistic, disadvantages smaller political parties, and allows major parties to target marginal seats and make some savings in pork-barrelling because of this targeting. Chong et al. also argue that denial is a significant aspect of the debate about compulsory voting.[32]

text: A counter argument to opponents of compulsory voting is that in these systems the individual still has the practical ability to abstain at the polls by voting informally if they so choose, due to the secrecy of the ballot. A spoilt vote does not count towards any political party and effectively is the same as choosing not to vote under a non-compulsory voting system. However, Singer argues that even the appearance of voluntary participation is sufficient to create an obligation to obey the law.[citation needed]

text: In the 2010 Australian election, Mark Latham urged Australians to vote informally by handing in blank ballot papers for the 2010 election. He also stated that he doesn't feel it is fair for the government to force citizens to vote if they don't have an opinion or threaten them into voting with a fine.[33] An Australian Electoral Commission spokesman stated that the Commonwealth Electoral Act did not contain an explicit provision prohibiting the casting of a blank vote.[34] How the Australian Electoral Commission arrived at this opinion is unknown; it runs contrary to the opinions of Chief Justice Sir Garfield Barwick, who wrote that voters must actually mark the ballot paper and deposit that ballot into a ballot box, and Justice Blackburn who was of the opinion that casting an invalid vote was a violation of the Act.[32]

text: Tim Evans, a Director of Elections Systems and Policy of the AEC, wrote in 2006 that "It is not the case, as some people have claimed, that it is only compulsory to attend the polling place and have your name marked off and this has been upheld by a number of legal decisions."[35] Yet, practically, it remains the fact that having received a ballot paper, the elector can simply fold it up and put it into the ballot box without formally marking it, if he or she objects, in principle, to casting a vote. However, the consistently low number of informal votes each election indicates that having attended, had his or her name marked off, very few electors then choose not to vote formally.

text: Compulsory voting has also been promoted for its collective benefits. It becomes difficult for coercion to be used to prevent disadvantaged people (the old, illiterate or disabled) to vote, and for obstacles to be put in the way of classes of individuals (ethnic/coloured; either registration requirements or placement of voting booths) as often happens under other voting systems.[citation needed] The compulsion requirement also needs to be kept in proportion: jury duty and compulsory military service are vastly more onerous citizen's compulsions than attending a local voting booth once every few years. Perhaps the most compelling reason to use a system of compulsory voting is a simple matter of logistics, that is, to facilitate the smooth and orderly process of an election. Every year in countries that do not have compulsory voting election officials have to guess at the numbers of voters who might turn out – this often depends on the vagaries of the weather. Often voters are disenfranchied in those countries when voting officials err and not enough voting booths are provided. Long queues can result with voters being turned away at the close of polling not having had their chance to exercise their democratic right to vote.

text: Preferential voting[edit]

text: Australia uses various forms of preferential voting for almost all elections. Under this system, voters number the candidates on the ballot paper in the order of their preference. The preferential system was introduced in 1918, in response to the rise of the Country Party, a party representing small farmers. The Country Party split the anti-Labor vote in conservative country areas, allowing Labor candidates to win on a minority vote. The conservative government of Billy Hughes introduced preferential voting as a means of allowing competition between the two conservative parties without putting seats at risk. It was first used at the Corangamite by-election on 14 December 1918.[36][37] The system was first used for election for the Queensland Parliament in 1892. It was introduced in the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1906 as a result of the work of Thomas Hare and Andrew Inglis Clark.

text: Preferential voting has gradually extended to both upper and lower houses, in the federal, state and territory legislatures, and is also used in municipal elections, and most other kinds of elections as well, such as internal political party elections, trade union elections, church elections, elections to company boards and elections in voluntary bodies such as football clubs. Negotiations for disposition of preference recommendations to voters are taken very seriously by candidates because transferred preferences carry the same weight as primary votes. Political parties usually produce how-to-vote cards to assist and guide voters in the ranking of candidates.

text: At some polling places in the Australian Capital Territory, voters may choose between voting electronically or on paper.[38] Otherwise, Australian elections are carried out using paper ballots. If more than one election takes place, for example for the House of Representatives and the Senate, then each election is on a separate ballot paper, which are of different colours and which are deposited into separate ballot boxes.

text: Secret balloting[edit]

text: Secret balloting was implemented by Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia in 1856,[39] followed by other Australian colonies: New South Wales (1858), Queensland (1859), and Western Australia (1877). Colonial (soon to become States) electoral laws, including the secret ballot, applied for the first election of the Australian Parliament in 1901, and the system has continued to be a feature of all elections in Australia and also applies to referendums.

text: The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 does not explicitly set out the secret ballot but a reading of sections 206, 207, 325 and 327 of the Act would imply its assumption. Sections 323 and 226(4) do however, apply the principle of a secret ballot to polling staff and would also support the assumption.

text: Proxy voting is not permitted at federal and state elections.

text: Allocation process[edit]

text: Allocation process for House of Representatives[edit]

text: The main elements of the operation of preferential voting for single-member House of Representatives divisions are as follows:[40][41]

text:
Voters are required to place the number "1" against their first choice of candidate, known as the "first preference" or "primary vote".
Voters are then required to place the numbers "2", "3", etc., against all of the other candidates listed on the ballot paper, in order of preference. (Every candidate must be numbered, otherwise the vote becomes “informal” (spoiled) and does not count.[42])
Prior to counting, each ballot paper is examined to ensure that it is validly filled in (and not invalidated on other grounds).
The number "1" or first preference votes are counted first. If no candidate secures an absolute majority (more than half) of first preference votes, then the candidate with the fewest votes is excluded from the count.
The votes for the eliminated candidate (i.e. from the ballots that placed the eliminated candidate first) are re-allocated to the remaining candidates according to the number "2" or "second preference" votes.
If no candidate has yet secured an absolute majority of the vote, then the next candidate with the fewest primary votes is eliminated. This preference allocation is repeated until there is a candidate with an absolute majority. Where a second (or subsequent) preference is expressed for a candidate who has already been eliminated, the voter's third or subsequent preferences are used.

text: Following the full allocation of preferences, it is possible to derive a two-party-preferred figure, where the votes have been allocated between the two main candidates in the election. In Australia, this is usually between the candidates from the Coalition parties and the Australian Labor Party.

text: Alternative allocation methods for Senate[edit]

text: For the Australian Senate, each State constitutes one multi-member electorate. Currently, 12 senators are elected from each State, one half every three years, except in the case of double dissolution when elections for all 12 senators in each State take place. The number of senators to be elected determines the 'quota' required to be achieved for election by quota-preferential voting.[43] For a half-Senate election of 6 places to be filled, the quota in each State is 14.28% (calculated using the formula 1/(6+1)), while after a double dissolution the quota is 7.69% (calculated using the formula 1/(12+1)).

text: The federal Senate electoral system from 1984 to 2013, and those currently used for some state legislatures, provide for simultaneous registration of party-listed candidates and party-determined orders of voting preference, known as 'group voting tickets' or 'above the line voting' which involves placing the number '1' in a single box and the vote is then allocated in accordance with the party's registered voting preferences. The AEC automatically allocates preferences, or votes, in the predetermined order outlined in the group voting ticket. Each party or group can register up to three group voting tickets. This highly complex system has potential for unexpected outcomes,[44] including the possible election of a candidate who may have initially received an insignificant primary vote tally (see, for example, the Minor Party Alliance at the 2013 federal election). An estimated 95% of all votes are cast 'above the line'.[45]

text: The alternative, federally, was to use 'below the line voting' by numbering a large number of individual candidate's boxes in the order of their own preference. To be valid, the voter placed sequential numbers against every candidate on the ballot paper, and the risk of error and invalidation of the vote was significant.

text: Gerrymandering and malapportionment[edit]

text: Malapportionment occurs when the number of voters in electorates are not equal. Malapportionment can occur through demographic change or through the deliberate weighting of different zones, such as rural vs. urban areas. Malapportionment differs to a gerrymander, which occurs when electoral boundaries are drawn to favour one political party or group over others.

text: There is no scope for malapportionment of Senate divisions, with each State constituting one multi-member electorate, though no account is taken of differences in the relative populations of states.

text: For the House of Representatives, members are elected from single member electorates.

text: Australia has seen very little gerrymandering of electoral boundaries, relevant only for the House of Representatives and State Legislative Assemblies, which have nearly always been drawn up by public servants or independent boundary commissioners. But Australia has seen systematic malapportionment of electorates. All colonial legislatures before Federation, and the federal parliament after it, allocated more representation to rural districts than their populations merited. This was justified on several grounds, such as that country people had to contend with greater distances and hardships, that country people (and specifically farmers) produced most of the nation's real wealth, and that greater country representation was necessary to balance the radical tendencies of the urban population.

text: However, in the later 20th century, these arguments were successfully challenged, and by the early 21st century malapportionment was abolished in all states. In all states, electoral districts must have roughly the same number of voters, with variations allowed for rural areas due to their sparse population. Proponents of this concept call this "one vote one value."

text: Examples[edit]

text: The most conspicuous examples of malapportionment were those of South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia.

text: In South Australia, the 1856 Constitution stipulated that there must be two rural constituencies for every urban constituency. By the early 1960s, the urban-rural voter ratio was almost exactly reversed. More than two-thirds of the state's population lived in Adelaide and its suburbs, but the rural areas elected two-thirds of the legislature. This was despite the fact that by this time, rural seats had on average one-quarter as many voters as urban seats. In one of the more extreme cases, a vote in the rural seat of Frome was worth 10 times a vote in an Adelaide seat. The setup allowed the Liberal and Country League to stay in office from 1932 to 1965—the last 27 of those years under Thomas Playford. However, from 1947 onward, the LCL lost by increasing margins in terms of actual votes. It was possible for Labor to win by a margin large enough for a comprehensive victory in most other states and still be locked out of power. Largely because Playford was the main beneficiary, the setup was called "the Playmander," although it was not strictly speaking a gerrymander.

text: This gross distortion came into sharp focus during three consecutive state elections in the 1960s. In 1962, Labor routed the LCL in the two-party vote, but came up one seat short of a majority. However, it only managed a two-seat swing, one short of victory. Playford was able to continue in power with the support of two independents. The Playmander was not overcome until Labor defeated the LCL in 1965. Even then, rural weighting was strong enough that Labor won just barely enough seats for a majority, despite winning resoundingly in the two-party vote.

text: The LCL regained power in 1968, in another case that demonstrated the gross inequities of the Playmander. While Labor won the popular vote with 52 percent to the LCL's 43.8 percent, Labor suffered a two-seat swing, leaving both parties with 19 seats each. Conservative independent Tom Stott threw his support to the LCL. Playford's successor as LCL leader, Steele Hall, was highly embarrassed at the manner in which he became premier, and immediately set about enacting a fairer system. A few months after taking office, Hall enacted a new electoral map with 47 seats—28 seats in Adelaide and 19 in the country. Previously, there had been 39 seats—13 in Adelaide and 26 in country areas. However, for some time the LCL's base in Adelaide had been limited to the wealthy eastern crescent and the area around Holdfast Bay. While it came up short of "one vote one value," as Labor demanded, the new system allowed Adelaide to elect a majority of the legislature, all but assuring a Labor victory at the next election. By nearly all accounts, Hall knew that he was effectively handing the premiership to his Labor counterpart, Don Dunstan, at the next election. As expected, Labor won the 1970 election handily.

text: In Queensland, the malapportionment initially benefitted the Labor Party, since many small rural constituencies were dominated by workers in provincial cities who were organised into the powerful Australian Workers' Union. But after 1957, the Country Party (later renamed the National Party) governments of Sir Frank Nicklin and Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen tweaked the system to give the upper hand to their rural base and isolate Labor support in Brisbane and provincial cities. In later years, this system made it possible for Bjelke-Petersen to win elections with only a quarter of the first preference votes. On average, a Country/National seat took only 7,000 votes to win, compared with 12,000 for a Labor seat. Combined with the votes of the Liberals (in Queensland, the National Party had historically been the senior partner in the non-Labor coalition), this was enough to lock Labor out of power even in years when Labor was the biggest single party in the legislature. This "Bjelkemander" was not overcome until the final defeat of the Nationals in 1989. Under new Labor premier Wayne Goss, a revised map was enacted with 40 seats in Brisbane and 49 in the country. Seats had roughly the same number of voters, with a greater tolerance allowed for seats in rural areas.

text: Western Australia retained a significant malapportionment in the Legislative Assembly until 2008. Under the previous system, votes in the country were worth up to four times the value of votes in Perth, the state's capital city, even though Perth contained almost three-fourths of the state's population. On 20 May 2005 the state Parliament passed new electoral laws, removing the malapportionment with effect from the following election. Under the new laws, electorates must have a population of 21,343, with a permitted variation of 10%. Electorates with a land area of more than 100,000 km² (40,000 mi²) are permitted to have a variation of 20%, in recognition of the difficulty of representing the sparsely populated north and east of the state.[46] Large districts would be attributed an extra number of notional voters, equal to 1.5% the area of the district in square kilometres, for the purposes of this calculation. This Large District Allowance will permit large rural districts to have many fewer voters than the average district enrolment. The Office of the Electoral Distribution Commissioners[47] gives the following example: Central Kimberley-Pilbara district has 12601 electors and an area of 600038 square kilometres. The average district enrolment for WA is 21343. Central Kimberley-Pilbara thus obtains 9000 notional extra electors, bringing its notional total to 21601, which is acceptably close to the average district enrolment.

text: A modified form of malapportionment was, however, retained for the Legislative Council, the state upper house, in which rural areas are still slightly overrepresented. According to ABC election analyst Antony Green, the rural weighting in the Legislative Council is still significant enough that a Liberal state premier has no choice but to include the National Party in his government, even if the Liberals theoretically have enough seats in the Legislative Assembly to govern alone.[48]

text: The Parliament[edit]

text: The Parliament of Australia is a bicameral (two-house) Parliament. It combines some of the features of the Parliament of the United Kingdom with some features of the United States Congress. This is because the authors of the Australian Constitution had two objectives: to reproduce as faithfully as possible the Westminster system of parliamentary government, while creating a federation in which there would be a division of powers between the national government and the states, regulated by a written Constitution.

text: In structure, the Australian Parliament resembles the United States Congress. There is a House of Representatives elected from single-member constituencies of approximately equal population, and there is a Senate consisting of an equal number of Senators from each state, regardless of population (since 1975 there have also been Senators representing the territories).

text: But in function, the Australian Parliament follows the Westminster system. The Prime Minister holds office because they can command the support of the majority of the House of Representatives, and must resign or advise an immediate election if the house passes a vote of no-confidence in their administration. If they fail to do so, they risk dismissal by the Governor-General. All ministers are required to be members of Parliament (although the Constitution permits a person who is not currently a member of parliament to hold a ministerial portfolio for a maximum period of three months).

text: The House of Representatives[edit]

text: The Australian House of Representatives has 150 members elected from single-member constituencies (formally called "Electoral Divisions", but usually called seats or electorates in Australia; see Australian electorates) for three-year terms. Voters must fill in the ballot paper by numbering all the candidates in order of their preference. Failure to number all the candidates, or an error in numbering, renders the ballot informal (invalid).[49] The average number of candidates has tended to increase in recent years: there are frequently 10 or 12 candidates in a seat, and at the Wills by-election in April 1992 there were 22 candidates.[50] This has made voting increasingly onerous, but the rate of informal voting has increased only slightly.

text: The low rate of informal voting is largely attributed to advertising from the various political parties indicating how a voter should number their ballot paper, called a How-to-Vote Card. On election day, volunteers from political parties stand outside polling places, handing voters a card which advises them how to cast their vote for their respective party. Thus, if a voter wishes to vote for the Liberal Party, they may take the Liberal How-to-Vote Card and follow its instructions. While they can lodge their vote according to their own preferences, Australian voters show a high degree of party loyalty in following their chosen party's card.

text: A disinterested voter who has formed no personal preference may simply number all the candidates sequentially, 1, 2, 3, etc., from top to bottom of the ballot paper, a practice termed donkey voting, which advantages those candidates whose names are placed nearest to the top of the ballot paper. Before 1984, candidates were listed in alphabetical order, which led to a profusion of Aaronses and Abbotts contesting elections. A notable example was the 1937 Senate election, in which the Labor candidate group in New South Wales consisted of Amour, Ashley, Armstrong and Arthur—all of whom were elected. Since 1984, the listed order of candidates on the ballot paper has been determined by drawing lots, a ceremony performed publicly by electoral officials immediately after the appointed time for closure of nominations.

text: Lower house primary, two-party and seat results since 1910[edit]

text: A two-party system has existed in the Australian House of Representatives since the two non-Labor parties merged in 1909. The 1910 election was the first to elect a majority government, with the Australian Labor Party concurrently winning the first Senate majority. A two-party-preferred vote (2PP) has been calculated since the 1919 change from first-past-the-post to preferential voting and subsequent introduction of the Coalition. ALP = Australian Labor Party, L+NP = grouping of Liberal/National/LNP/CLP Coalition parties (and predecessors), Oth = other parties and independents.

text:
House of Representatives results and polling

Primary vote
2PP vote
Seats

ALP
L+NP
Oth.
ALP
L+NP
ALP
L+NP
Oth.
Total

2 July 2016 election
34.7%
42.0%
23.3%
49.6%
50.4%
69
76
5
150

28 Jun – 1 Jul 2016 Newspoll
35%
42%
23%
49.5%
50.5%

7 September 2013 election
33.4%
45.6%
21.1%
46.5%
53.5%
55
90
5
150

3–5 Sep 2013 Newspoll
33%
46%
21%
46%
54%

21 August 2010 election
38.0%
43.3%
18.8%
50.1%
49.9%
72
72
6
150

17–19 Aug 2010 Newspoll
36.2%
43.4%
20.4%
50.2%
49.8%

24 November 2007 election
43.4%
42.1%
14.5%
52.7%
47.3%
83
65
2
150

20–22 Nov 2007 Newspoll
44%
43%
13%
52%
48%

9 October 2004 election
37.6%
46.7%
15.7%
47.3%
52.7%
60
87
3
150

6–7 Oct 2004 Newspoll
39%
45%
16%
50%
50%

10 November 2001 election
37.8%
43.0%
19.2%
49.0%
51.0%
65
82
3
150

7–8 Nov 2001 Newspoll
38.5%
46%
15.5%
47%
53%

3 October 1998 election
40.1%
39.5%
20.4%
51.0%
49.0%
67
80
1
148

30 Sep – 1 Oct 1998 Newspoll
44%
40%
16%
53%
47%

2 March 1996 election
38.7%
47.3%
14.0%
46.4%
53.6%
49
94
5
148

28–29 Feb 1996 Newspoll
40.5%
48%
11.5%
46.5%
53.5%

13 March 1993 election
44.9%
44.3%
10.7%
51.4%
48.6%
80
65
2
147

11 Mar 1993 Newspoll
44%
45%
11%
49.5%
50.5%

24 March 1990 election
39.4%
43.5%
17.1%
49.9%
50.1%
78
69
1
148

11 July 1987 election
45.8%
46.1%
8.1%
50.8%
49.2%
86
62
0
148

1 December 1984 election
47.6%
45.0%
7.4%
51.8%
48.2%
82
66
0
148

5 March 1983 election
49.5%
43.6%
6.9%
53.2%
46.8%
75
50
0
125

18 October 1980 election
45.2%
46.3%
8.5%
49.6%
50.4%
51
74
0
125

10 December 1977 election
39.7%
48.1%
12.2%
45.4%
54.6%
38
86
0
124

13 December 1975 election
42.8%
53.1%
4.1%
44.3%
55.7%
36
91
0
127

18 May 1974 election
49.3%
44.9%
5.8%
51.7%
48.3%
66
61
0
127

2 December 1972 election
49.6%
41.5%
8.9%
52.7%
47.3%
67
58
0
125

25 October 1969 election
47.0%
43.3%
9.7%
50.2%
49.8%
59
66
0
125

26 November 1966 election
40.0%
50.0%
10.0%
43.1%
56.9%
41
82
1
124

30 November 1963 election
45.5%
46.0%
8.5%
47.4%
52.6%
50
72
0
122

9 December 1961 election
47.9%
42.1%
10.0%
50.5%
49.5%
60
62
0
122

22 November 1958 election
42.8%
46.6%
10.6%
45.9%
54.1%
45
77
0
122

10 December 1955 election
44.6%
47.6%
7.8%
45.8%
54.2%
47
75
0
122

29 May 1954 election
50.0%
46.8%
3.2%
50.7%
49.3%
57
64
0
121

28 April 1951 election
47.6%
50.3%
2.1%
49.3%
50.7%
52
69
0
121

10 December 1949 election
46.0%
50.3%
3.7%
49.0%
51.0%
47
74
0
121

28 September 1946 election
49.7%
39.3%
11.0%
54.1%
45.9%
43
26
5
74

21 August 1943 election
49.9%
23.0%
27.1%
58.2%
41.8%
49
19
6
74

21 September 1940 election
40.2%
43.9%
15.9%
50.3%
49.7%
32
36
6
74

23 October 1937 election
43.2%
49.3%
7.5%
49.4%
50.6%
29
44
2
74

15 September 1934 election
26.8%
45.6%
27.6%
46.5%
53.5%
18
42
14
74

19 December 1931 election
27.1%
48.4%
24.5%
41.5%
58.5%
14
50
11
75

12 October 1929 election
48.8%
44.2%
7.0%
56.7%
43.3%
46
24
5
75

17 November 1928 election
44.6%
49.6%
5.8%
48.4%
51.6%
31
42
2
75

14 November 1925 election
45.0%
53.2%
1.8%
46.2%
53.8%
23
50
2
75

16 December 1922 election
42.3%
47.8%
9.9%
48.8%
51.2%
29
40
6
75

13 December 1919 election
42.5%
54.3%
3.2%
45.9%
54.1%
25
38
2
75

5 May 1917 election
43.9%
54.2%
1.9%
–
–
22
53
0
75

5 September 1914 election
50.9%
47.2%
1.9%
–
–
42
32
1
75

31 May 1913 election
48.5%
48.9%
2.6%
–
–
37
38
0
75

13 April 1910 election
50.0%
45.1%
4.9%
–
–
42
31
2
75

Polling conducted by Newspoll and published in The Australian. Three percent margin of error.

text: Counting votes in elections for the House of Representatives[edit]

text: The House of Representatives uses full preferential voting, which is known outside Australia by names such as "instant runoff voting" (IRV) and "alternative voting".

text: When the polls close at 6 pm on election day, the votes are counted. The count is conducted by officers of the Australian Electoral Commission, watched by nominated volunteer observers from the political parties, called scrutineers, who are entitled to observe the whole voting process from the opening of the booth. The votes from each polling booth in the electorate are tallied at the office of the returning officer for the electorate. If one of the candidates has more than 50% of the vote, then they are declared elected. Australian politics are influenced by social and economic demographics, though the correlation between "class" and voting is not always simple.[51] Typically, the National Party will poll higher in rural seats. The Liberal Party and the Australian Labor Party are not as easily generalised. In a strong seat, the elected party might win up to 80% of the two-party-preferred vote. In the 2004 federal election, the highest winning margin in a seat was 25.1%,[52] with most seats won by a margin of less than 10%.

text: In the remaining seats, no single candidate will have a majority of the primary votes (or first-preference votes). A hypothetical result might look like this:

text:
White (Democrat)
6,000
6.0%

Smith (Labor)
45,000
45.0%

Jones (Liberal)
35,000
35.0%

Johnson (Green)
10,000
10.0%

Davies (Ind)
4,000
4.0%

text: On election night, an interim distribution of preferences called a TCP (two-candidate-preferred) count is performed. The electoral commission nominates the two candidates it believes are most likely to win the most votes and all votes are distributed immediately to one or the other preferred candidate.[53] This result is indicative only and subsequently the formal count will be performed after all "declaration" (e.g. postal, absent votes) votes are received.

text: In this example, the candidate with the smallest vote, Davies, will be eliminated, and his or her preferences will be distributed: that is, his or her 4,000 votes will be individually re-allocated to the remaining candidates according to which candidate received the number 2 vote on each of those 4000 ballot papers. Suppose Davies's preferences split 50/50 between Smith and Jones. After re-allocation of Davies's votes, Smith would have 47% and Jones 37% of the total votes in the electorate. White would then be eliminated. Suppose all of White's preferences went to Smith. Smith would then have 53% and would be declared elected. Johnson's votes would not need to be distributed.

text: Exhausted preferences[edit]

text: The exhausted counts correspond to votes that ought to be informal, if strictly following the rules above, but were deemed to have expressed some valid preferences. The Electoral Act has since been amended to almost eliminate exhausted votes.

text: Section 268(1)(c) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 now has the effect of making the vote of any elector that does not preference every candidate on the ballot paper an informal vote as opposed to counting the vote until the voter's preference exhausts.

text: Two-party majorities, swings and pendulums[edit]

text: Since 1984 the preferences of all candidates in House of Representatives seats have been distributed, even if this is not necessary to determine the winner of the seat. This is done to determine the percentage of the votes obtained by the winning candidate after the distribution of all preferences. This is called the two-party-preferred vote. For example, if (in the example given above), Smith finished with 58% of the vote after the distribution of Johnson's preferences, Smith's two-party vote would be 58% and the seat would be said to have a two-party majority of 8%. It would therefore need a two-party swing of 8 percentage points to be lost to the other side of politics at the next election.

text: Once the two-party majorities in all seats are known, they can then be arranged in a table to show the order in which they would be lost in the event of an adverse swing at the next election. Such tables frequently appear in the Australian media and are called election pendulums or sometimes Mackerras pendulums after the political scientist Malcolm Mackerras, who popularised the idea of the two-party vote in his 1972 book Australian General Elections.

text: Here is a sample of the federal election pendulum from the 2001 election, showing some of the seats held by the Liberal-National Party coalition government, in order of their two-party majority. A seat with a small two-party majority is said to be a marginal seat or a swinging seat. A seat with a large two-party majority is said to be a safe seat, although "safe" seats have been known to change hands in the event of a large swing.

text:
Seat
State
Majority
Member
Party

HINKLER
Qld
0.0
Paul Neville
NPA

SOLOMON
NT
0.1
Dave Tollner
Lib

ADELAIDE
SA
0.2
Hon Trish Worth
Lib

CANNING
WA
0.4
Don Randall
Lib

DOBELL
NSW
0.4
Ken Ticehurst
Lib

PARRAMATTA
NSW
1.1
Ross Cameron
Lib

McEWEN
Vic
1.2
Fran Bailey
Lib

PATERSON
NSW
1.4
Bob Baldwin
Lib

HERBERT
Qld
1.6
Peter Lindsay
Lib

RICHMOND
NSW
1.6
Hon Larry Anthony
NPA

DEAKIN
Vic
1.7
Philip Barresi
Lib

EDEN-MONARO
NSW
1.7
Gary Nairn
Lib

HINDMARSH
SA
1.9
Hon Christine Gallus
Lib

text: Redistributions[edit]

text: The boundaries of Australian electoral divisions are reviewed periodically by the Australian Electoral Commission and redrawn in a process called redistribution.

text: The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 requires that all seats have approximately an equal number of enrolled voters. When the Commission determines that population shifts within a state have caused some seats to have too many or too few voters, a redistribution is called and new boundaries are drawn up.

text: Redistributions are also held when the Commission determines (following a formula laid down in the Electoral Act) that the distribution of seats among the states and territories must be changed because some states are growing faster than others.

text: House casual vacancies[edit]

text: If a member's seat becomes vacant mid-term, whether through disqualification, resignation, death or some other possible reason, a by-election may be held to fill the causal vacancy. A member may resign by tendering the resignation to the Speaker, as required by section 37 of the Australian Constitution, or in the absence of the Speaker to the Governor-General. A resignation is not effective until it is tendered in writing to the Speaker or Governor-General. If a redistribution has taken place since the last election, the by-election is held on the basis of the boundaries at the time of original election.

text: The Senate[edit]

text: The Australian Senate has 76 members: each of the six states elects 12 Senators, and the Northern Territory (NT) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) each elect two Senators. The several other Australian Territories have very small populations and are represented by Northern Territory and ACT Senators (for example, Christmas Island residents are represented by NT Senators, while Jervis Bay Territory residents are represented by ACT Senators).

text: Senators for the states serve six-year terms, with half the Senators from each state usually being elected at each federal election. The terms of the territory Senators coincide with the duration of the House of Representatives.

text: The Senate is elected both proportionately and preferentially, except that each state has an equal number of seats so that the distribution of seats to states is non-proportional to the total Australian population. Thus, although within each state the seats proportionally represent the vote for that state, overall the less populous states are proportionally stronger in representation for their population compared to the more populous states.

text: At the 2013 federal election, the Senate election, contested by over 50 groups,[54] saw extensive "preference deals" (legitimate manipulation of group voting tickets), resulting in the election to the Senate of Ricky Muir from the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party, who had received only 0.5% of first-preference support.[55] This exploitation of the system was alleged to undermine the entitlement of voters "to be able to make real choices, not forced ones—and to know who they really are voting for."[56]

text: Following the 2013 election, the Abbott Liberal government announced it would investigate changing the electoral system for the Senate in order to prevent the preference system being abused. On 22 February 2016, the Turnbull Liberal government announced several proposed changes.[57] The changes had the support of the Liberal/National Coalition, the Australian Greens, and Nick Xenophon − a three-vote majority.[58] The Senate reform legislation passed both houses of the Parliament of Australia on 18 March 2016 after the Senate sat all night debating the bill.[59]

text: The changes abolished group voting tickets and introduced optional preferential voting, along with party logos on the ballot paper. The ballot paper continues to have a box for each party above a heavy line, with each party's candidates in a column below that party's box below the solid line. Previously, a voter could either mark a single box above the line, which triggered the party's group voting ticket (a pre-assigned sequence of preferences), or place a number in every box below the line to assign their own preferences. As a result of the changes, voters may assign their preferences for parties above the line (numbering as many boxes as they wish), or individual candidates below the line, and are not required to fill all of the boxes. Both above and below the line voting are now optional preferential voting. For above the line, voters are instructed to number at least their first six preferences, however, a "savings provision" still counts the ballot if less than six are given. As a result, fewer votes are classed as informal, however, more ballots do "exhaust" as a result (i.e. some votes are not counted towards electing any candidate). For below the line, voters are required to number at least their first 12 preferences. Voters are still free to continue numbering as many preferences as they like beyond the minimum number specified. Another savings provision allows ballot papers with at least 6 below the line preferences to be formal, catering for people who confuse the above and below the line instructions; an additional change to the savings provision will also accept below the line votes with a higher number of sequence errors than previously, treating the sequence as stopping at the first error (missed or repeated numbers).

text: As a result of these reforms, it is now much less likely that a candidate with such a minuscule primary vote as Muir's in 2013 could win election to the Senate. ABC electoral psephologist Antony Green wrote several publications on various aspects of the proposed Senate reforms.[60][61][62][63][64][65]

text: The Senate count[edit]

text: The form of preferential voting used in the Senate is technically known as the "Inclusive Gregory".[66]

text: The system for counting Senate votes is complicated, and a final result is sometimes not known for several weeks. When the Senate vote is counted, a quota for election is determined. This is the number of valid votes cast, divided by the number of Senators to be elected plus one.

text: For example, here is the Senate result for the state of New South Wales from the 1998 federal election. For greater clarity the votes cast for 50 minor party and independent candidates have been excluded.

text: The quota for election was 3,755,725 divided by seven, or 536,533.

text: In this table, the Group number allocated to each list is shown at right. Below that is the number of quotas polled by each list. Thus, "Q:2.7073" next to the Labor Party list indicates that the Labor candidates between them polled 2.7073 quotas.

text: It will be seen that the leading Labor and Liberal candidates, Hutchins and Heffernan, polled more than the quota. They were therefore elected on the first count. Their surplus votes were then distributed. The surplus is the candidate's vote minus the quota. Hutchins's surplus was thus 1,446,231 minus 536,533, or 909,698. These votes are multiplied by a factor (called the "transfer value") based on the proportion of ballot papers preferencing other parties. ABC Election commentator Antony Green believes that this method distorts preference allocation.[66]

text: After Hutchins's surplus votes were distributed, the count looked like this:

text: It will be seen that virtually all of Hutchins's surplus votes went to Faulkner, the second candidate on the Labor ticket, who was then elected. This is because all those voters who voted for the Labor party "above the line" had their second preferences automatically allocated to the second Labor candidate. All parties lodge a copy of their How-to-Vote Card with the Electoral Commission, and the Commission follows this card in allocating the preferences of those who vote "above the line." If a voter wished to vote, for example, Hutchins 1 and Heffernan 2, they would need to vote "below the line" by numbering each of the 69 candidates.

text: In the third count, Heffernan's surplus was distributed and these votes elected Tierney. Faulkner's surplus was then distributed, but these were insufficient to elect Forshaw. Likewise, Tierney's surplus was insufficient to elect McDonald.

text: After this stage of the count, the remaining candidates in contention (that is, the leading candidates in the major party tickets) were in the following position:

text: All the other candidates were then eliminated one by one, starting with the candidates with the smallest number of votes, and their votes were distributed among the candidates remaining in contention in accordance with the preferences expressed on their ballot papers. After this process was completed, the remaining candidates were in the following position:

text: Sutton was then eliminated. 80% of Sutton's preferences went to Ridgeway, giving Ridgeway more votes than McDonald. McDonald was then eliminated, and 93% of his preferences went to Ridgeway, thus giving him a quota and the fifth Senate seat. Ridgeway's surplus was then distributed, and 96% of his votes went to Forshaw, thus giving him a quota and the sixth seat. Oldfield was the last remaining unsuccessful candidate.

text: A final point needs to be explained. It was noted above that when a candidate polls more votes than the quota, their surplus vote is distributed to other candidates. Thus, in the example given above, Hutchins's surplus was 909,698, or 1,446,231 (his primary vote) minus 536,533 (the quota). It may be asked: which 909,698 of Hutchins's 1,446,231 primary votes are distributed? Are they chosen at random from among his votes? In fact they are all distributed, but at less than their full value. Since 909,698 is 62.9% of 1,446,231, each of Hutchins's votes is transferred to other candidates as 62.9% of a vote: each vote is said to have a transfer value of 0.629. This avoids any possibility of an unrepresentative sample of his votes being transferred. After each count the candidate's progressive total is rounded down to the nearest whole number. This means that a small number of votes are lost by fractionation in the final count.

text: When a person is appointed Divisional Returning Officer for a seat, his electoral enrolment will be transferred from the electorate where he lives to the one he administers. Normally he will be precluded from voting at an election, but instead will have two special powers; these are:

text: 1. If during the count there are two candidates with equal lowest votes, he can decide which will be excluded.

text: 2. If at the end of the count the two candidates left have an equal number of votes, he will get to vote in the election by giving a casting vote to the candidate he prefers. This is his personal vote, just like any other elector's, and is awarded at his sole discretion.

text: Senate casual vacancies[edit]

text: If a senator's seat becomes vacant mid-term, through disqualification, resignation, death or other cause, the legislature of the relevant state or territory chooses a replacement senator. A senator may resign by tendering the resignation to the President of the Senate or to the Governor-General, as required by section 19 of the Constitution. A resignation is not effective until it is tendered in writing to the President or Governor-General.

text: Double dissolutions[edit]

text: Under the Australian Constitution, the House of Representatives and the Senate generally have equal legislative powers (the only exception being that appropriation (supply) bills must originate in the House of Representatives). This means that a government formed in the House of Representatives can be frustrated if a Senate majority rejects or delays passage of its legislative bills.

text: In such circumstances, Section 57 of the Constitution allows the Governor-general to dissolve both the House of Representatives and the Senate–termed a "double dissolution"–and issue writs for an election in which every seat in the Parliament is contested. The Governor-general would usually take such action only on the advice of the prime minister.


document_title: List of Ray Donovan episodes

question_text: what is the most current episode of ray donovan

root

text: List of Ray Donovan episodes

text: Series overview[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
12
June 30, 2013 (2013-06-30)
September 22, 2013 (2013-09-22)

2
12
July 13, 2014 (2014-07-13)
September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)

3
12
July 12, 2015 (2015-07-12)
September 27, 2015 (2015-09-27)

4
12
June 26, 2016 (2016-06-26)
September 18, 2016 (2016-09-18)

5
12
August 6, 2017 (2017-08-06)
October 29, 2017 (2017-10-29)

tag: table

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Season 1 (2013)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

1
1
"The Bag or the Bat"
Allen Coulter
Ann Biderman
June 30, 2013 (2013-06-30)
1.35[2]

Ray Donovan fixes problems for a powerful LA law firm. Originally from South Boston, he now lives in the affluent city of Calabasas, CA. While dealing with his troubled family, including his wife Abby, daughter Bridget and son Coner, he learns of the return of his father, Mickey, released from prison on parole.

2
2
"A Mouth Is a Mouth"
Allen Coulter
Ann Biderman
July 7, 2013 (2013-07-07)
1.56[3]

Ray tries to send Mickey back to prison. Angry with Ray, Abby allows her kids to spend the day with Mickey. Ray handles two crises involving movie star clients: A-list actor Sean Walker receives a threatening message and a home invasion, while action hero Tommy Wheeler is blackmailed with a video of his sexual exploits.

3
3
"Twerk"
Greg Yaitanes
Ron Nyswaner
July 14, 2013 (2013-07-14)
1.45[4]

Mickey spends time with his sons. Ray "buys" a talented hip-hop artist, Marvin Gaye Washington, for his rapper neighbor. Bridget becomes friendly with Marvin. Ezra holds a fundraiser, in honor of his late wife, due to being haunted by past mistakes. Meanwhile, the real reason for Mickey's early parole is revealed.

4
4
"Black Cadillac"
John Dahl
David Hollander
July 21, 2013 (2013-07-21)
1.52[5]

Ray is forced by Abby to visit Bel Air Academy to see Bridget's potential new school, while trying to deal with a work situation. Meanwhile, Mickey meets his ex, Claudette, leading to old memories being relived.

5
5
"The Golem"
Dan Attias
Sean Conway
July 28, 2013 (2013-07-28)
1.46[6]

Bunchy receives his money from the settlement with the Church. Mickey and Ezra reminisce about old events while Mickey wears a wire. Ezra has an accident while driving at night, and believes he has killed someone. Terry and Frances' relationship grows stronger.

6
6
"Housewarming"
Michael Uppendahl
Brett Johnson
August 4, 2013 (2013-08-04)
1.45[7]

Ray tries to shut down Van Miller's investigation by drugging him, and using this to create an incriminating video. Bunchy throws a housewarming party, but it gets out of control. Ray finds out that Mickey put his kids in danger and retaliates.

7
7
"New Birthday"
Lesli Linka Glatter
David Hollander
August 11, 2013 (2013-08-11)
1.44[8]

Ray finds out about Bridget's relationship with Marvin and forbids her from seeing him, but she visits him anyway, leading to emotional upset. Meanwhile, Ray flies to Boston to search for Bostonian mobster, Sully. Abby and Deb enjoy themselves too much, which turns into trouble. Mickey makes Sean let him work on a movie project.

8
8
"Bridget"
Guy Ferland
Ann Biderman
August 18, 2013 (2013-08-18)
1.47[9]

The three Donovan brothers remember the anniversary of their sister's demise. Ray and Avi get the money back that Bunchy spent on his house. Terry goes after Frances' husband after he sees evidence she has been abused. Mickey has trouble relating to an actress he meets at the spa.

9
9
"Road Trip"
Jeremy Podeswa
Brett Johnson
August 25, 2013 (2013-08-25)
1.33[10]

Accepting Ray's offer to kill Mickey, Sully travels to Los Angeles, but the journey does not go as planned, forcing Avi to step in. Asked by Coner to attend an award show with Tommy Wheeler, Ray must first obtain a series of incriminating photographs of the actor; Miller steps up his efforts in his investigation.

10
10
"Fite Nite"
Tucker Gates
Sean Conway
September 8, 2013 (2013-09-08)
1.25[11]

The Donovans attend Daryll's fight at Terry's club. Meanwhile, Ray's deal with Sully is put into action. Mickey has a rendezvous. Bunchy encounters his abuser, sending him into a tailspin.

11
11
"Bucky Fuckn' Dent"
Dan Minahan
Ron Nyswaner
September 15, 2013 (2013-09-15)
1.41[12]

Horrible secrets are revealed when the Donovan boys encounter the priest who abused Bunchy and Ray when they were boys. Ray executes him. Ray sends Avi to protect his family, much to Abby's anger; Mickey asks a favor from Claudette when he finds himself under investigation for the murder of Sean Walker.

12
12
"Same Exactly"
Michael Apted
Ann Biderman
September 22, 2013 (2013-09-22)
1.41[13]

With Sully on the run, Ray suggests to Frank a bold strategy in finding him; Abby leaves Ray a heartfelt message; Lena convinces Bridget to forgive her father; An empowered Bunchy kicks Mickey out of his apartment; Terry feels guilty of his role in the priest's death; a final showdown at the docks has long-lasting effects.

text: Season 2 (2014)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

13
1
"Yo Soy Capitán"
Tucker Gates
Ann Biderman
July 13, 2014 (2014-07-13)
1.22[14]

Ray's life returns to normal. The FBI demands that Mickey be brought to them. Abby, concerned for their marriage, forces Ray into therapy with her. Meanwhile, Bunchy attempts to recover from his abuse and applies for a job, Terry obsesses over Frances and Coner is in trouble after assaulting a classmate.

14
2
"Uber Ray"
Michael Uppendahl
Ann Biderman & David Hollander
July 20, 2014 (2014-07-20)
1.27[15]

Having difficulty in controlling Mickey upon returning him to LA, Ray bribes corrupt parole officer Ronald Keith to keep an eye on his father. As Ed Cochran holds a press conference declaring the FBI caught Sully, Boston Globe reporter Kate McPherson launches her own investigation on what happened at the docks.

15
3
"Gem and Loan"
Phil Abraham
Michael Tolkin
July 27, 2014 (2014-07-27)
1.38[16]

Desperate to get Bridget into the prestigious Bel-Air Academy, Ray is forced to do an unusual favor for old rival Stu Feldman, which involves a married couple; Mickey's attempts to see his old lover are thwarted by Keith; Kate arrives at Terry's Fight Club looking for answers; Abby's therapist tries to convince her that Ray is bribing her. Marvin reenters Bridget's life.

16
4
"S U C K"
Tucker Gates
David Hollander
August 3, 2014 (2014-08-03)
1.45[17]

Ray and the FBI must deal with Tiny, Sully's nephew who spoke to the cops about his involvement in Sully's death. After sleeping with Kate, Ray purchases a new house for Abby, who befriends a police officer at a shooting range. Bunchy makes friends with a woman and her child at his new job; Kate attempts to talk to Mickey.

17
5
"Irish Spring"
Dan Attias
Ron Nyswaner
August 10, 2014 (2014-08-10)
1.42[18]

Ray gets compromising information on Cochran, who enjoys wife-swapping with one of his subordinates. Avi follows Kate as she investigates, but Ray will need to give her a new story. Meanwhile, Abby tries to enjoy her prospective new neighbors, but their comments lead to a violent outburst. Marvin takes Bridget to a party at the house of a hip-hop mogul. Coner "apologizes" to Alex - but it doesn't go well.

18
6
"Viagra"
John Dahl
Brett Johnson
August 17, 2014 (2014-08-17)
1.44[19]

Ashley introduces Ray to a new client; Ray turns to an unlikely source in finding dirt on Ed Cochran; Mickey sets his sights on a bigger payday; Terry and Potato Pie help Bunchy out when he gets a date with a single mother.

19
7
"Walk This Way"
Liev Schreiber
Ann Biderman
August 24, 2014 (2014-08-24)
1.35[20]

Coner requests that the Donovan family come together for his birthday, which Ray and Abby have forgotten; Ashley's stalker returns; Mickey's gift angers Daryl and strains his relationship with Claudette; An awkward incident leaves Bunchy confused; Terry learns an awful secret about his gym.

20
8
"Sunny"
John Dahl
David Hollander & Cheo Hodari Coker
August 31, 2014 (2014-08-31)
1.49[21]

Ray learns the truth about Abby's absences, and confronts Jim (the cop) about their affair. Cookie wants Marvin back for himself because he feels that his initial investment entitles him to all the money that the boy will make. Mickey gets the opportunity to sell his life story into a trilogy, but ends up losing it. Bridget is the sole witness to Cookie's brutality, who murders Marvin and Re-Kon.

21
9
"Snowflake"
Guy Ferland
Michael Tolkin & Brett Johnson
September 7, 2014 (2014-09-07)
1.63[22]

Ray and Abby have different opinions on how to handle Bridget's dangerous situation, where Cookie is trying to murder her. Kate turns to a new source for answers; Bunchy has an awkward moment with his girlfriend's son; Mickey and Shorty plan a heist.

22
10
"Volcheck"
Michael Uppendahl
David Hollander
September 14, 2014 (2014-09-14)
1.80[23]

Kate's return to Los Angeles sets off a violent chain of events involving Ray's past; Cochran is offered directorship of the FBI, but discovers the horrifying video made by Ray. Mickey and Shorty welcome two new members to their heist crew; Abby gives Jim a startling ultimatum;

23
11
"Rodef"
Michael Uppendahl
Ron Nyswaner & Brett Johnson
September 21, 2014 (2014-09-21)
1.68[24]

Ray prepares his loved ones for the event of his arrest; Mickey's heist does not go according to plan, and Terry is arrested and put into jail. Ray obtains the video of Marvin's murder; Jim cannot bring himself to follow through on Abby's plan; Ezra turns to Avi in dealing with Kate.

24
12
"The Captain"
Michael Uppendahl
Ann Biderman
September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)
1.97[25]

Kate's murder at the hand of Avi (on Ezra's orders) forces Ray into action against several of his enemies; After the stolen safe yields less than expected, Mickey comes up with a new source for money; Jim gives Abby an enticing offer; An imprisoned Terry refuses to accept bail; Bunchy reveals his past to Patty; Ray kills Cookie in order to protect his daughter.

text: Season 3 (2015)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

25
1
"The Kalamazoo"
Colin Bucksey
David Hollander
July 12, 2015 (2015-07-12)
1.04[26]

Ezra is visited in his hospital bed by sinister Father Thomas Romero. A confused Ezra protests his presence. Romero quizzes Ezra about the buried priest. Deborah ushers the priest away and Ezra demands that Ray is called and warned, Ray does not take these calls, soon afterward, Ezra dies. Ray rescues a client from a potential sex scandal with his usual style and heads to a bar where Abby calls him to tell him of Ezra’s passing. Ray consoles himself with some rough sex with a stranger. Mickey, at his apartment complex, looks after the daughter of call girl Ginger who lives there. Mickey dislikes Ginger’s pimp and after attempting to convince him to change his ways or location resorts to drugging him and tossing him into the pool to drown. Ray meets Andrew Finney in his enormous house. Ray is engaged to recover Finney’s kidnapped son and is provided with ransom money. Ray later meets with the kidnappers and rescues the son, who had originally planned the kidnapping with a friend to get the cash, but the drug dealers they enlisted took over murdering his friend. Finney approves of the outcome and pays Ray. A smartened but broke Bunchy (Brendan) Donovan is trying to manage the Gym whilst Terry is in jail. Abby visits for a drink and helps out. Bridget rejects a ride home from school from her drunken mother and complains about this to Coner when at home. Abby stops to rescues a huge dog from the highway and takes it home with her. Romero convinces a police officer to give him a box of evidence relating to the deceased Father Danny.

26
2
"Ding"
Ed Bianchi
William Wheeler
July 19, 2015 (2015-07-19)
1.26[27]

Mickey tries to take over Gary’s girls, gets a loan secured on Daryll’s car, and buys coke for the girls to sell. He takes Audrey to her audition where she is not successful. Ray takes on a job from Paige Finney. He is to find Carl LaFell, the husband of a woman that a football star has been having an affair with and pay him off. She tricks Donovan into bringing Carl to a meeting only to see his wife in flagrante delicto with the quarterback – whose arm LaFell then breaks. When Ray realises this, he demands a check for the money – which Malcolm Finney pays out. Finney also offers to buy Ray and his firm, but Donovan says he is not for sale. Ray takes the check to LaFell who says he doesn’t want it. Ray persists, only to be rewarded with a series of punches. Avi offers Lena a partnership in his new business. When she tells Ray, he says she should take it. When Bridget calls Ray about Abby’s behaviour, he visits briefly. Later, Abby catches Connor watching porn and pleasuring himself. She calls Ray to tell him and invites Ray to dinner. He tentatively accepts but ends up not attending. Bunchy falls for the female member of the Mexican team, training at the gym in a big way. Her outfits and demeanor, especially towards Bunchy, are suggestive of a dominatrix. The group’s manager suggests using the gym as a venue for their show. Father Romero, posing as a member of Bunchy's support group, joins the gym. Terry is involved in a fight in prison, despite Ray paying a guard to protect him. Terry floors his opponent, but a rematch is arranged where Terry is stabbed with a shank. Terry still prevails, but ends up in solitary.

27
3
"Come and Knock on Our Door"
Dan Attias
David Hollander
July 26, 2015 (2015-07-26)
1.44[28]

A beaten-up Ray returns home in the early morning to surprise Bridget and apologize for missing dinner. While talking, Ray sees the ghost of his dead sister in the room and leaves. This apparition will haunt him throughout the day. Mickey explains his plan to the reluctant girls who agree to try it for one day, but Mickey receives a call from the prison and leaves Daryll to look after business. Daryll is soon overwhelmed with the role but Bunchy arrives and helps out. Ray is visited by Finney’s men who try, but fail, to bring him onto the payroll. Mickey and Ray try different approaches to get Terry out of prison before he is killed by the Aryan gang for killing one of their members in a prison fight. Both try and fail at the prison and Mickey ends up inadvertently killing the judge, who had already turned down cash from Ray. In desperation, Ray turns to Finney, who, in turn, leans on a reluctant Governor Verona, ensuring Terry is released that evening. Ray repays Finney by signing up to work for him. The girls return to a troubled Mickey, who is glum even upon seeing his large cut of the action. Ray calls, saying Terry will be freed. Mickey then cheers up, and claims joint responsibility for the release to Bunchy and Daryll. Ray collects Terry from the prison.

28
4
"Breakfast of Champions"
Lesli Linka Glatter
Brett Johnson
August 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)
1.37[29]

Abby visits her family in Boston, flirting with old flame Gus, in her brother Dave’s bar. Margaret, her sister, and Abby don’t get along. Abby spends most of the day drinking and bonding with Margaret’s daughter, Lauren, and resists Ray's demand she return home. After a brief war of words the sisters patch things up. Bridget has a bad day at school and tries to get her teacher on-side. Coner skips school and borrows Abby’s car; some girls ask to come round for the day but Coner ends up disappointed when they all bring their boyfriends. Coner and one of the guys come to blows with Coner eventually beating him with a bat; Bridget arrives before things get too ugly. Mickey tries to patch things up with Terry, though, as usual, his ways only serve to make things worse. Ray spends the day at Finney’s Imperial Studios. He shepherds Casey around as required and helps Paige overcome some personnel issues so that she can best portray the studio to a potential buyer. Andrew Finney first says the deal is off but after interjections from Paige says it is back on again. Alone, Finney tells Ray that he works only for him –- and suggests things will get ugly with the rest of the brood. Paige later calls Ray asking to meet, Ray declines, stating that he works only for her father. Going home, Ray gets a frosty reception from Bridget but stays at the family home in Abby’s absence.

29
5
"Handshake Deal"
Colin Bucksey
Gina Welch
August 9, 2015 (2015-08-09)
1.32[30]

Mickey sets up a girls and gear party for PJ and his tech company Kwip. All goes well until more product than agreed is consumed, leaving Mickey $10,000 down. One of the girls gets busy with Coner. Ray is tasked by Finney with retrieving a phone which contains damaging evidence of Governor Verona’s dalliances. He enlists Lena to help and brings her back on staff. The phone recovered, Ray discovers that Paige was among Verona’s indiscretions. Bunchy’s heart is broken when Teresa and family leave after Terry spikes the wrestling deal. Romero tries further to befriend Bunchy. Bridget is having trouble with her college application; Ray’s attending a meeting with her doesn’t help so she phones her Mom. Abby, who has agreed to buy the bar and put in Margaret’s name, agrees to come home. On hearing from her sister that she needs Ray to agree to the bar deal Margaret becomes angry. Mickey tries to extend his loan with the Armenians and ends up agreeing to give them 50% of the business. Paige wants the phone but Ray insists his loyalties lie with her father. On meeting Finney he implies that the phone has been destroyed, Finney is displeased but seems content that his daughter does not have it. Ray later meets with Paige and offers the phone for 5% of the NFL deal, but settles for 3%. Ray comes home to find Mickey and Coner there, sending Coner to bed; Ray shares a quick drink with his father. After Mickey leaves Ray watches TV with the dog and then Abby comes home.

30
6
"Swing Vote"
John Dahl
Michael Tolkin
August 16, 2015 (2015-08-16)
1.61[31]

The Minassians take Mickey to visit another of their business partners and show him the punishment that awaits if payment is late. He returns to the apartment complex to find Ginger packed and ready to leave as Mrs Rosenblatt has threatened to call child protection about Audrey, Mickey says he will help and she should stay. Abby asks Ray if he wants a divorce, he doesn’t answer straight away but later calls saying a divorce is not what he wants, he wants to build a better life for them all. Bunchy shares his feelings about losing Teresa with his support group, Romero convinces him they should go and see her in Bakersfield on the trip Romero claims to have stabbed his own abuser in the eyes. Terry receives a weight plate shaped calling card from the Aryans. Ray gets confirmation from Lee Drexler that his contract with Paige is good and signs it. He is then called in by Finney to help delay a potential bidder for the NFL team, so that he misses the deadline. He despatches Lena to intercept this Mr Sylvester, whom they drug and deposit in a motel room. Paige gets the deal signed, though has to agree to a 10% break fee. Bunchy visits Teresa and asks her to marry him, despite her protestations he says he will wait at a diner down the street until she changes her mind. At the diner, Romero tricks Bunchy into saying how his abuser was despatched. Teresa does arrive and agrees to go with Bunchy – but only if he agrees to: tell the truth, be faithful, not hit her and drop the name Bunchy, Brendan agrees. At the election party Abby is introduced to Verona and the Finney clan. Ray leaves for a while to attend to a petrified Terry. On returning, with Verona losing the election and having found out about the deal with Paige, Finney expresses his disappointment at Ray.

31
7
"All Must Be Loved"
Tucker Gates
David Hollander
August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)
1.37[32]

Terry’s specialist advises him that recent events are normal for Parkinson’s and he should really have in-home support, Ray agrees with Abby that he could move in with them, Terry later declines. Darryl is beaten and his car is taken by the Armenians who had come after a $30k payment, Mickey says he will sort it out and arranges to meet them with the money. Bunchy tells his family of his intention to marry Teresa and asks Ray for his settlement money. Ray OK’s the financing for Abby’s father’s bar. Paige tells Donovan she is divorcing Varick and fronts Ray $200k to bribe Helen Miller of Fish & Game. Romero calls Ray and asks for a meet, saying he knows about Father O’Connor’s murder. At the meeting he offers forgiveness if Ray confesses, Ray starts to confess then leaves – Romero follows but Ray turns on the priest and beats him until Terry pulls him off – Romero excommunicates them but calls for Ray to repent. Bunchy goes to Mickey looking for more work, Mickey takes him to the meeting with the Armenians, who, on discovering Mickey has given them play money lay in to Mickey and Darryl outnumbering and overwhelming them until Bunchy steps in – Darryl later tells Mickey that reprisals are a certainty. Bridget's crush on her tutor, Greg Donellen, moves to the next level. Paige summons Ray on the pretext of business, but on arriving her motives are clearly more about pleasure.

32
8
"Tulip"
Michael Uppendahl
David Hollander & William Wheeler
August 30, 2015 (2015-08-30)
1.44[33]

Paige tells Ray, her overnight guest, that they must seal the deal with Napier that week to keep everything on track. Ray enlists Helen Miller to provide some evidence (snakes which have been used to traffic drugs) which will be planted on Miller. Despite good planning by Ray and Lena, one of the snakes bites Miller, thwarting their plans. Romero shows up at the gym and has Bunchy summon Ray. Armed and ready to dispose of another priest, Ray is surprised when Romero simply hands him all of the evidence that he has gathered and leaves. The Armenians take revenge by torching Daryll’s car. The investigating police officer tells Mickey that she is aware of his activities and that he can either become an informant again or he, Darryl and Bunchy will likely face jail. Mickey later calls her and agrees. A disgruntled Varick is denied access to Finney so sneaks in through a back door. He threatens to expose his relationship with Finney who responds by hitting him, fatally, with a fire poker. Finney calls in Ray who, in turn, brings Avi back to help clean up with Lena. Burning and burying Varick’s body (along with Romero’s evidence) in a deep desert grave, Avi tries to convince Ray that Kate's murder was for Ray’s good. Finney, as agreed with Ray, tells Paige he will pay Napier’s price for the land and that she can take control of the deal going forward. Avi lays a false trail suggesting Varick fled south of the border. Bridget visits Donellen at home. He is on painkillers, and after he falls asleep on the couch Bridget snuggles up alongside him. Abby gets Terry cleaned up somewhat and he ends up staying in the room that Abby had prepared for him.

33
9
"The Octopus"
Colin Bucksey
Brett Johnson
September 6, 2015 (2015-09-06)
1.41[34]

Mickey is required by Detective Muncie to work with them on a sting operation against the Minassians and their Russian supplier of trafficked girls, Ivan Belikov. Preparations for Bunchy’s wedding are underway but at the rehearsal dinner Ray gives less a best man’s speech, more a mumbled couple of sentences. Ray has Lena check out Teresa and family, who are mostly clean. Terry’s Parkinson’s (or meds) give him nightmares and when checking out the noise Abby and Ray find a shaken and embarrassed Terry has wet the bed. The NFL is checking the Finneys' deal and the absence of Varick leads them to have one of their investigators, disgraced former FBI director Ed Cochran, look into the deal. Cochran seems to relish the prospect of encountering Ray again. Mickey hides out in a motel. Muncie goes looking for him and arrests groom-to-be Bunchy when Mickey cannot be located. Ray agrees with Muncie to swap father for brother, then tracks down Mickey and convinces him to return. Mickey meets with the Minassians and sees the pictures of the sex-slaves that Belikov is controlling; he is shaken by these. Bridget is out bowling with Donellen who admits his feelings for her. Bunchy and Teresa are married and the reception is a success with Ray delivering a fine and moving speech. Mickey asks Ray for help with his situation. Ray asks Lena to look into the Minassians.

34
10
"One Night in Yerevan"
Dan Attias
Gina Welch & David Hollander
September 13, 2015 (2015-09-13)
1.43[35]

Ray is planning to get Mickey out of his sticky situation with the cops by working with old employer Lee Drexler. Ray gets Lee to act as a legal representative for Mickey. Their angle is to say that Mickey is senile, which is signed off on by a doctor whom they pay, and then appoint Ray as his guardian. That means that Mickey can’t rightfully participate in Muncie’s sting. Ray also tries to convince the Minassians to let Mickey out of the deal they made, and asks for help from an Armenian pop star whom Ray had helped out in the past. Meanwhile, Cochran is gathering more evidence in his investigation of Ray, using the vetting of the Finney NFL deal as a reason to dig into any potential dirty business. Cochran is getting closer to learning the truth. He meets with Finney, gets a sense of where he stands, and also bribes his way into Avi’s storage locker. Worried about Bridget, Abby searches her room for something that will help her figure out what’s wrong. She finds Mr. Donellen’s pill bottle and confronts Bridget about it. When Abby learns the truth, she first threatens to call the cops. Donellen lies to Abby telling her that Bridget is obsessed with him because they both lost loved ones.

35
11
"Poker"
Colin Bucksey
Michael Tolkin & Brett Johnson
September 20, 2015 (2015-09-20)
1.45[36]

Cochran sends the LAPD, via their website, a map of where Varick’s body is buried, his screen observed remotely by Avi and Lena. He then plants the poker at Ray's apartment and has Finney tell the police chief that it was Ray who killed Varick. Finney asks Paige to back him up. Avi calls Ray and they agree the body should be moved. Ray answers some of a detective’s questions about Varick, but Lee Drexler arrives and concludes the conversation. Lee tells Ray that Finney had implicated him; Ray sees Finney’s lawyer and tells him to have Finney recant his statement. Cochran arrives home to find Ray there, Ray asks where the poker is, but it takes a bullet to the leg and some persuasion to get the location. Ray recovers the poker just before the police arrive – Lena speeds it away. Bridget, though grounded, visits Donellen and tells him how she feels but he gently rebuffs her. Abby arrives and takes Bridget away. Terry makes a pass at Abby. Ray intercepts Paige on her way into the LAPD offices and he tries to convince her to tell the truth. She tells the police that Finney killed Varick and that they were lovers. Ray and his team deposit the body and poker in a dumpster at Finney’s home. Paige tells Finney she made her statement, but not its contents, and Lena torches the body. Ray and his team return a bruised Cochran to Dybek. Mickey avoids having to move to Reno by convincing his boys he has Alzheimer’s, and claims that he is scared that Ray will lock him away somewhere. Ray confronts Mickey, and Mickey tells Ray they will all hate him if he is sent away, forcing Ray to relent.

36
12
"Exsuscito"
David Hollander
David Hollander & William Wheeler
September 27, 2015 (2015-09-27)
1.50[37]

TV news covers unfolding events at the Finney house, Paige arrives at Ray’s apartment to ride out the media storm. Ray leaves and goes home. Bridget is in Santa Monica and arranges a liaison with Greg Donellen. Teresa wakes Bunchy and rides him before she takes him to the hills and tells him she is pregnant, Bunchy reacts badly and admits he is worried about how good a parent he would be and doesn’t want to disappoint her. Abby searches for Bridget, hammering on Donellen’s door getting no response. Meanwhile Ray arrives home where Terry, reluctantly, tells him about Donellen. Ray calls Bridget, who does not answer, when Abby texts asking where she is she says at Mickey’s. Terry agrees to collect her; Abby tells Ray who agrees to meet there. Ray is second to arrive but sees two of the Armenians armed for revenge, he gets a gun and finds the Armenians shooting out Mickey’s apartment, Ray shoots at them but they leave quickly. Michelle is killed and Terry is badly hurt. Ray and Mickey rush Terry to the hospital. Avi advises that the Minassians will kill all of Ray's family, so Ray and Avi plan to eliminate them. Waiting as Minassians arrive at their club they are surprised to see Mickey arrive and gun down the doorman before entering the building. They follow and between them dispatch the Armenian men, though Ray is wounded. Mickey slits the throat of Ovsanna Minassian. Ray next goes to rescue Bridget. Donellen has declined Bridget’s advances but this doesn’t stop Ray from punching him a few times hard. He takes Bridget with him to the hospital where Terry is. She says Ray doesn’t love her or anyone, and leaves. She goes home and packs her bags. Terry is in a bad way, wounded and weakened. Ray goes to see Romero so he will visit Terry. Romero awaits his confession, Terry’s heart arrests. Ray confesses and tells of Father O’Connor’s misdeeds against him; Terry regains consciousness. Leaving the confessional Ray collapses. Romero drives him back towards L.A.

text: Season 4 (2016)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

37
1
"Girl with Guitar"
Liev Schreiber
David Hollander
June 20, 2016 (2016-06-20) (online)
June 26, 2016 (2016-06-26) (Showtime)
1.11[38]

Ray and Terry have recovered. Ray attends his first abuse survivors' support meeting and tries to get Bridget to move back home. Abby gets alarming medical news that she has cancer. Mickey's new con fizzles. Ray gets a job offer but then has to help a friend out of a jam.

38
2
"Marisol"
John Dahl
Mike Binder & Rob Fresco
July 3, 2016 (2016-07-03)
1.15[39]

Ray helps Hector handle a person from his past who threatens to reveal a secret that could ruin Hector's boxing career. Meanwhile, Abby offers Bunchy a lesson in marital compromise; and Det. Muncie uses incriminating evidence against the Donovans to force Ray's hand, which draws him further in the path of the Russian mob.

39
3
"Little Bill Primm's Big Green Horseshoe"
Michael Apted
David Hollander & Miki Johnson
July 10, 2016 (2016-07-10)
1.34[40]

Ray struggles with not bringing work home, while boxing brings drama to both homes. Meanwhile his fathers paradox luck pulls him closer to his son.

40
4
"Federal Boobie Inspector"
Phil Abraham
Sean Conway
July 17, 2016 (2016-07-17)
1.27[41]

Ray visits a Hollywood power player in an attempt to get the Russian mob off his back and unearths a secret Ezra shared in the past. Meanwhile, Lena and an ex-girlfriend take Abby out on the town to help her confront fears over her recent cancer diagnosis; and Mickey offers his boys a job prospect and tries to assimilate back into the family.

41
5
"Get Even Before Leavin'"
Robert McLachlan
Chad Feehan
July 24, 2016 (2016-07-24)
1.27[42]

Ray goes with Mickey to Primm, to retrieve the money from the recent heist at the Casino. Meanwhile, Abby has some difficult decisions to make about her cancer, Bridget returns home and Bunchy has serious marital problems.

42
6
"Fish and Bird"
Daisy von Scherler Mayer
David Hollander
July 31, 2016 (2016-07-31)
1.24[43]

Mickey takes the blame for the Armenian hit and goes to prison. Belikov is released. Bunchy baptizes his daughter and comes to live with Ray after Teresa left him. Ray settles his debt with the Russian mob, but new troubles arise.

43
7
"Norman Saves the World"
Tricia Brock
Mike Binder & David Sonnenborn
August 7, 2016 (2016-08-07)
1.13[44]

Ray has a confrontation with a Hollywood agent and a former fixer; without the protection of the Russians, Ray helps Mickey secure his own safety.

44
8
"The Texan"
Tucker Gates
David Hollander & Sean Conway
August 14, 2016 (2016-08-14)
1.21[45]

Ray and Abby find out about Conor's gun; Hector's plans get surprisingly interrupted by Marisol.

45
9
"Goodbye Beautiful"
James Whitmore Jr.
Chad Feehan & Miki Johnson
August 21, 2016 (2016-08-21)
1.21[46]

Sonia asks Ray for help. Mickey, Bunchy and Teresa go to Primm. The Russians find out about Belikov.

46
10
"Lake Hollywood"
Stephen Williams
David Hollander & Mike Binder
August 28, 2016 (2016-08-28)
1.00[47]

Hector's wife confronts him and he deals with Marisol. Mickey, Bunchy and Teresa go to Ray's house. Ray does everything he can to ensure his family's safety and save his friend.

47
11
"Chinese Algebra"
John Dahl
Sean Conway & Chad Feehan
September 11, 2016 (2016-09-11)
1.47[48]

Ray's latest attempt to save Avi and square his debts to the mob takes a hit when FBI agent Frank Barnes becomes involved.

48
12
"Rattus Rattus"
David Hollander
David Hollander
September 18, 2016 (2016-09-18)
1.34[49]

As the Campos fight gets underway, Ray desperately turns to his family for help.

text: Season 5 (2017)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

49
1
"Abby"
David Hollander
David Hollander
August 6, 2017 (2017-08-06)
1.13[50]

Ray begins court-ordered anger management after a family tragedy sparks a bar fight. Meanwhile, Mickey, Bunchy and Daryll prepare for Terry and Maureen's wedding and Bridget looks up a mysterious acquaintance in New York. Conor adjusts to military school and Samantha Winslow, a studio head, hires Ray to do some work for her.

50
2
"Las Vegas"
John Dahl
David Hollander & Miki Johnson
August 13, 2017 (2017-08-13)
1.11[51]

A flashback to Ray and Abby's 21st anniversary when they went to Las Vegas to see Damon's first televised fight. In the present, movie star Natalie James hires Ray to protect her from her abusive manager, who has also impregnated her. Hopes for a beautiful day are dashed at Terry and Maureen's wedding as tensions flare between the Donovans and the Dohertys.

51
3
"Dogwalker"
John Dahl
Sean Conway
August 20, 2017 (2017-08-20)
1.06[52]

Ray cleans up Natalie's mess. At home, however, he struggles to reconnect with his family and complete anger management. Unable to reach Maureen, Terry visits Conor at military school. A surprise visit from Frank Barnes threatens to sink Mickey back into a life of violence. Bunchy happens upon the business opportunity of a lifetime to provide for Teresa and Maria.

52
4
"Sold"
Tucker Gates
Chad Feehan
August 27, 2017 (2017-08-27)
1.07[53]

Mickey's screenwriting dreams stall out - until he's pulled into a gruesome fix for Daryll's movie star client. Abby starts construction on the new bar while Ray searches for a solution to their problem. Terry tries to win back Maureen one last time. Bunchy takes the cash out of his safe for a business deal. However, he stops at a local sandwich shop with all his money in a diaper bag and is robbed. Bridget tells her boyfriend that her father is not a nice man, and intentionally got him sick so that Abby could take his place on an experimental cancer treatment.

53
5
"Shabbos Goy"
Daisy von Scherler Mayer
David Hollander & William Wheeler
September 10, 2017 (2017-09-10)
1.08[54]

Tom and Vicky blackmail Winslow, and demand money and one of her Oscar statuettes. Ray is looking for Natalie. Mickey finds Avi, but is unable to murder him for Frank Barnes.

54
6
"Shelley Duvall"
Michael Uppendahl
Miki Johnson & David Sonnenborn
September 17, 2017 (2017-09-17)
1.05[55]

Terry visits Bridget, Landry finds out that Natalie is staying with Ray, and asks to see her. Upon confronting Natalie, Landry grabs her roughly, and Ray stops him.

55
7
"If I Should Fall from Grace with God"
Michael Uppendahl
David Hollander & Chad Feehan
September 24, 2017 (2017-09-24)
1.15[56]

For the sake of Bunchy, Ray must save Mickey; Terry comes back to Los Angeles with a confession; Bunchy helps an inmate; Daryll and Mickey clash over the direction of their movie; Donovan goes to the extreme to protect his family.

56
8
"Horses"
Zetna Fuentes
William Wheeler
October 1, 2017 (2017-10-01)
1.22[57]

57
9
"Mister Lucky"
Guy Ferland
Sean Conway
October 8, 2017 (2017-10-08)
1.21[58]

58
10
"Bob the Builder"
Stephen Williams
Chad Feehan
October 15, 2017 (2017-10-15)
1.24[59]

59
11
"Michael"
Carl Franklin
Miki Johnson
October 22, 2017 (2017-10-22)
1.23[60]

Ray searches for Frank Barnes in an attempt to get Bridget out of jail. In New York, Terry deals with the return of Damon's father and takes care of Smitty at Bridget's request.

60
12
"Time Takes a Cigarette"
David Hollander
David Hollander
October 29, 2017 (2017-10-29)
1.18[61]


document_title: Zippy (mascot)

question_text: where did the akron zips get their name

question_tokens: where did the akron zips get their name

text: Zippy (mascot)

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text:
Zippy Marsupial

University
University of Akron

Conference
MAC

Description
Kangaroos

First seen
May 1, 1953

Website
http://www.uakron.edu/zippy/

text: Zippy is the female mascot of the University of Akron athletics team. Zippy is a kangaroo, and was chosen by a committee in 1953.

tag: p

text: The school's nickname, "Zips", is a shortening of "Zippers", a pair of rubber overshoes and a brand name of the BF Goodrich Company of Akron. It was originally adopted by the school in 1925 after a contest to give the school a nickname. "Kangaroos" was one of the choices at the time. In 1950, the current nickname was adopted because of the rising popularity of zippers in use on pants. Two years later, a committee suggested the kangaroo as a mascot,[1] and it was accepted by the student council on May 1, 1953. Originally, it was met with derision, as it was not put to a campuswide vote. However, over time, Zippy has become a fan favorite at the school.

text: "Zippy" has always been a costumed mascot, and currently wears a blue letter-sweater and a gold-and-blue rat cap. In a 2010 interview, she stated The Things They Carried was her favorite band.

text: In 2007 Zippy was chosen as one of twelve collegiate mascots to compete for Capital One Bowl mascot of the year. With an unprecedented 13–0 record, Zippy was named the winner on January 1, 2008.[2]