Pointing the finger

The post-mortem on the referendum has not been without its finger-pointing.

Referendum culture
As the poll at right suggests, blame on the failure of the MMP side has settled on several areas. I'd like to add to the options at right and say that in my opinion we don't have a referendum culture here in Ontario. Let's face it, if you're not used to voting in a referendum then you're not going to be looking for info about it.

Elections Ontario
Some have indicated that Elections Ontario's campaign was not effective enough. I don't know what more they could have done. The issue has been around since the last election (2003) when McGuinty said he'd set up an assembly to look at electoral reform. Then we had the Citizens' Assembly touring the province to study the matter. Then we had the campaign here in Ottawa. How could people not know there was a referendum???

MMP was too hard to understand
First, anything is more complicated than our current system. A system that asks us to mark two Xs instead of one is of course twice as more complicated... but seriously, it appears complicated only if you get into the details. Basically the question is if you want a proportional system then vote for MMP, if you don't then vote for FPTP.

MMP and MPP
I heard from one person that the Vote for MMP signs were really saying Vote for MPP. In other words, some thought it was a sign reminding people to vote for their MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament). If it had been called the Proportional System then maybe it would have done better.

The final numbers

What was needed
To review, the result of the referendum would have been binding if the chosen electoral system (FPTP or MMP) was selected in :

(a) At least 60% of all the valid referendum ballots cast; and

(b) more than 50% of the valid referendum ballots cast in each of at least 64 electoral districts.

According to the results, FPTP was approved by 63.2% of the voters. 36.9% of the voters chose MMP. FPTP was approved of by 50%+1 votes in 102 of the 107 ridings.

Where MMP did well

A strong membership and volunteer base in downtown Toronto is reflected in the results:

Trinity-Spadina: 59.2%
Davenport: 56.7%
Toronto-Danforth: 55.1%
Parkdale-High Park: 54.5%
Beaches - East York: 50.1%

MMP in Ottawa

MMP was approved of in the 7 Ottawa area ridings by the following amounts:

Carleton-Mississippi Mills: 29.5%

Nepean-Carleton: 31.5%

Ottawa Centre: 47.9%

Ottawa-Orleans: 29.9%

Ottawa South: 34.2%

Ottawa-Vanier: 38.9%

Ottawa West-Nepean: 33.2%

I think people in the North thought MMP would mean less influence for them. How about a referendum on Northern Ontario separation?

Nipissing: 27.1%

Sault Ste. Marie: 26.2%

Timmins-James Bay: 22.7%

One of the most illegitimate elections in Ontario history

The Ontario Liberals won another "majority" government last night.

52% of eligible Ontario voters turned out to vote. Of those, 42% voted Liberal which gave them 66% of the seats and 100% of the power.

37 % voted for MMP, and the press call it a resounding defeat. 42% vote for Mr. McGuinty, and the press call it a resounding victory. That’s FPTP for you!

The 58% of Ontarians who voted for opposition parties received only 33 per cent of the seats, significantly weakening the checks and balances needed for accountable and effective government.

MMP results
Had the mixed member proportional (MMP) system proposed in the referendum been used in this election, with similar voting patterns the resulting Legislature would have been very different, and more in line with voters' choices:

The Liberals' 42% would have earned approximately 59 seats, rather than 71.

The Progressive Conservatives would have had about 39 seats, rather than 26.

As in 2003, the Tories would have gained more under MMP than any other party and been much better able to provide numerically-effective opposition to the Government

The NDP would have had about 21 seats rather than 10.

The Green Party, whose 352,000 voters are today totally unrepresented in the Legislature, would have earned about 10 seats.

Election Day-Top 10 Reasons to Vote for MMP

1. More choice for voters: one ballot, two votes. With MMP, you cast a vote for your local candidate AND another vote for your preferred political party.

2. More power to voters: everyone matters. Even if you don’t elect someone in your riding, your party vote will still help elect at-large candidates. Every party will compete for your vote no matter where you live.

3. More options for voters. Voters will be able to consider the larger established parties, as usual, but also a number of smaller, newer, innovative parties.

4. Fairer results in elections. Parties will get only the seats and power they deserve – no more, no less.

5. Stronger representation. With both riding representatives and at-large representatives, voters will be able to call on more than one elected official in their region for assistance.

6. More diverse representation. Parties will learn that they attract more votes by nominating a diverse list of at-large candidates – including a good balance of women and men, and visible minorities.

7. More accountability to voters. Every voter helps elect someone, which strengthens accountability, and majority governments can only be formed by those representing the majority.

8. Better government and less concentration of powerParties will be forced to negotiate and compromise, usually by forming coalition governments, which tempers the power of the premier and party leaders.

9. Citizens’ Assembly recommended MMP. MMP is recommended by the independent Ontario Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, a body of 103 randomly chosen voters who studied and deliberated for eight months on the best voting system for Ontario.

10. Old guard doesn’t like it. The MMP system empowers voters and gives us more choice, fairer results and stronger representation – not what the old boys club wants, but what all Ontarians deserve.

Newfoundland and Labrador election disaster

I know of few, more vivid and egregious examples of the distortions of our current electoral system than the results of the provincial election in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Here are the results:

Party/%of vote/Seats won

PC/70/43

Liberal/22/3

NDP/8/1

Here are the results (approx.) under a proportional system like MMP:

Party/% of vote/Seats won

PC /70/ 33

Liberal/22/10

NDP/8/4

The numbers speak for themselves. A few points to note:

1. The PCs got a majority government. This proves that we do not necessarily have perpetual minority governments with MMP. Also, this is a true majority government, not the fake ones we call 'majority' now.

2. The Liberals would not have been decimated to a pathetic rump. Instead, they would have had a sizeable majority to act as opposition in the House of Assembly.

3. The New Democrats, who usually elect a token MHA, would have been numerous enough to influence the debate as much as, well, 4 MHAs could.

10 reasons to vote for MMP

Three Reasons Why Ontario Needs a New Voting System

1. Too little choice
Many voters live in ridings dominated by one party where they cannot elect someone from the party they actually prefer.

2. Most votes elect no one
In a typical Ontario election, more than two million voters cast votes that elect no one.

3. Distorted election results and phony majorities
A party winning only 40 per cent of the votes often captures 60 per cent of the seats. Ontario is usually governed by a party the majority voted against.

Ten Reasons to Vote for Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) in the Referendum

1. More choice for voters: one ballot, two votes
With MMP, you cast a vote for your local candidate AND another vote for your preferred political party.

2. More power to voters: everyone matters
Even if you don’t elect someone in your riding, your party vote will still help elect at-large candidates. Every party will compete for your vote no matter where you live.

3. More options for voters
Voters will be able to consider the larger established parties, as usual, but also a number of smaller, newer, innovative parties.

4. Fairer results in elections
Parties will get only the seats and power they deserve – no more, no less.

5. Stronger representation
With both riding representatives and at-large representatives, voters will be able to call on more than one elected official in their region for assistance.

6. More diverse representation
Parties will learn that they attract more votes by nominating a diverse list of at-large candidates – including a good balance of women and men, and visible minorities.

7. More accountability to voters
Every voter helps elect someone, which strengthens accountability, and majority governments can only be formed by those representing the majority.

8. Better government and less concentration of power
Parties will be forced to negotiate and compromise, usually by forming coalition governments, which tempers the power of the premier and party leaders.

9. Citizens’ Assembly recommended MMP
MMP is recommended by the independent Ontario Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, a body of 103 randomly chosen voters who studied and deliberated for eight months on the best voting system for Ontario.

10. Old guard doesn’t like it
The MMP system empowers voters and gives us more choice, fairer results and stronger representation – not what the old boys club wants, but what all Ontarians deserve.

Lots of reasons to Vote for MMP

Xtra.ca has published 5 reasons why we should vote for MMP.

MMP gives us the freedom to elect a party that we want to see form government yet choose a local candidate that we feel would reflect our interests better.

90 of the 129 seats proposed under MMP are elected by our current First-past-the-post system, that's a full 70% of the legislature. The remaining seats, 39 would be filled by list members, that's only 30%... a very modest yet important change.

The Toronto Star has published an article supporting MMP.

MMP gives us two important components in an election system: having local representation plus a chance to vote for the party we want to lead the province.

Add your reason why you're supporting MMP!

Nursing democracy: Referendum more important than the election

I've talked to several people who feel that the election is basically over. I've also found a lot of agreement that the referendum is ultimately more important than the election outcome.

If we stop to consider the big picture, most of us would realise that it is of paramount importance that Ontario speak clearly in this referendum. It's not everyday that we have a chance to elect how our MPPs will be chosen in subsequent elections from now on. We also have a golden opportunity to make history in Canada and North America by being the only jurisdiction whose politicians are elected on a proportional basis.

Let's elect our local MPP as well as have a vote on which party we want to lead the province.

Let's have almost 100% of our votes count instead of about 40%.

Let's join other Western democracies in switching to a fairer more representative system.

The real question

Do you want a proportional representation system or not?

That is essentially what the question is you have to answer. I've talked to several people who want a PR system but don't like MMP.... Come on, if you want a PR system, even though it doesn't meet your own personal standards of what a PR system should be then you should still vote for it.

The question in the poll at right is the real question you will be asked on 10 October. But it should be the one above.

If you want PR then Vote for MMP!