Andrew Coyne: principled voting reformer
In a national electoral reform debate mired in polarizing rhetoric, Andrew Coyne stands out as a principled example to follow. Although he’s a conservative, he doesn’t favor First-Past-the-Post because it…
Ron Waller
Justin Trudeau: principled voting reformer
Justin Trudeau respectfully disagrees with PR proponents and believes PV ranked ballot is best for Canada: “I do not support proportional representation because I believe deeply that every Member of…
Top ten benefits of Proportional Representation
Here are the top 10 reasons why we should replace our unreliable voting system, First-Past-the-Post, with PR: Real Democracy: Ensures an actual majority of voters is represented in government. Ends…
Top ten benefits of Preferential Voting (ranked ballot)
Here are the top ten reasons why we should fix our existing voting system with PV. This small change of the ballot — from single-choice to ranked — offers a…
Ranked ballot ends need for party mergers
After the 2011 election results came in, many pundits were saying the Liberals and NDP would have to merge to stop the Conservatives from becoming Canada’s natural governing party. Right-leaning…
FPP makes most Canadians second-class citizens
The foundation of democracy is one person, one vote. That means every person of voting age has an equal say in how our country is run. But do we really?…
Ranked ballot: Anyone But Conservative voting
The Green Party was polling as high as 10% before the 2011 election. Yet they dropped down to 3.9% at the ballot box — lower than their 2008 showing of…
Progressives must consider benefits of ranked ballot
In an ideal universe, Canada would have PR like 85% of developed countries. But we ended up in a whacky one: we dole out absolute corrupt power to an arbitrary…
Conservative senate would kill PR bill
Just imagine if the dreams of PR reformers come true after the 2015 election. Somehow, we manage to get a government to pass a bill that makes PR law. If…
PR: more stable government than FPP
The corporate media and business community offer many stern warnings against the dangers of PR voting reform — despite the fact that 85% of developed countries use the system. Among…
Stability Wars: FPP vs PR
“Granted, some minority or coalition governments do manage to deliver solid, progressive government. But they are rarities. More commonly, governments in proportional systems are divisive, unstable, short-lived and paralyzed by…
Stalin and Hitler delivered strong government…
One of the selling points of primitive and undemocratic FPP is that it provides “strong, stable government.” What Stephen Harper once said was a “benign dictatorship.” I imagine the idea…
Harper shows strong government is bad government
Democracy can get complicated. When there are more than two parties, it’s rare for one party to win the support of the people — that is, an actual majority. Upside-down…
MythBuster: ranked ballot favors Liberals
Some people believe that the Liberals will benefit the most from ranked ballot voting. This is based on the premise that the middle party will get the most alternative votes:…
Voting systems in a nutshell
There are two different ways voters can be represented in a democracy: by person and by party. This is the main reason there are many different voting systems. Definition: Seat/Riding:…
Under FPP, conservatives call the shots: ask Mulcair
Our primitive voting system, FPP, breaks down when there are more than two parties. In the 1990s, the Liberals had an unfair advantage due to center-right vote splitting. Now a…
If we had PV in 2011, NDP would be in power
Some PR true-believers spread a lot of misinformation about PV ranked ballot, claiming it’s somehow worse than primitive FPP. Is an NDP minority government worse than an unfettered Harper majority?…
What is a false majority?
When there are more than two parties under FPP, vote splitting can allow a 39% minority party to win over 50% of the seats — and 100% of the power.…
Why our voting system is broken and how to fix it
Unlike most developed countries, Canada uses a primitive method of voting called First-Past-the-Post. This simple system awards a seat (in Parliament) to the candidate with the most votes. This sounds…
91% of developed nations adopted voting reform
Of 34 developed countries, 31 have moved on to better voting systems that ensure an actual majority of voters is represented in government. That’s 91%. Canada and the UK use…