SINGAPORE – Here’s a breakdown of today’s voting procedure:

* International Olympic Committee members will vote by secret ballot among five candidates: London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, and Paris.

* Voting is by rounds until one city obtains a majority. The city receiving the fewest votes drops out after each round. Four rounds would be the maximum.

* If two or more cities are tied for the lowest number of votes, a runoff will be held, with the winner advancing to the next round.

* If multiple rounds are needed, the IOC immediately will announce which cities go to the next round. Voting figures will be released only after the winner is announced.

* Members from countries with bid cities don’t vote while their candidate is still in contention. Once a city is eliminated, members from that country vote in subsequent rounds. Of the IOC’s 116 members, 99 are eligible to vote in the first round.

* IOC president Jacques Rogge doesn’t vote, one member (Ivan Slavkov, of Bulgaria) is suspended, one member (Nikos Filaretos, of Greece) is absent due to health reasons, and another (Guy Drut, of France) pulled out due to a corruption trial at home. Thirteen members from bid-city countries won’t vote in the first round.

* Voting is done electronically. Members push a button to make a choice. An electronic device tallies the votes immediately. IOC officials confirm the totals. How each member votes is not recorded.

Voting begins: 5:45 p.m. Singapore time (5:45 a.m. EDT).

Winning city announced: around 7:40 p.m. Singapore time (7:40 a.m. EDT)