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.

New Elections Ontario website up for referendum

Elections Ontario has posted its website to educate voters on the highly-anticipated referendum on electoral reform. The site educates voters on the two systems, our present one and the proposed Mixed Member Proportion (MMP). There is an exhaustive list of links to follow as well as an FAQs section. Below is what seems to be the proposed ballot to be used in the referendum.

Remember to vote in favour of MMP on October 10th!

Elections Ontario (neither for nor against MMP) has also done the following:

• registered a profile and group on Facebook for people to get access to more information and discuss the referendum - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4103057895
• set-up a public, toll-free information telephone line, 1-888-ONTVOTE (1-888-668-8683)
• set-up an easy-to-share widget for individuals to use and share (available later this month)
• designed traditional advertising including province-wide radio, television and print outlets, as well as direct-to-voter information via direct mail
• engaged over 100 dedicated Resource Officers who can deliver community information sessions throughout the province

Video and audio sites on MMP

TV Ontario's The Agenda with Steve Paikin, in my opinion one of the best current affairs shows around, has covered the referendum, the Ontario Citizens' Assembly (OCA), and MMP in considerable depth.

Click here to see some video and audio on the subject.

MMP and it's effects on Ottawa

Much of the merits of MMP are made in regards to the benefits it brings to the province as a whole. General points are made such as:

• only votes for winning candidates count towards electing an MPP
• our current system routinely gives majority control of the legislature to parties with a minority of supproters
• dissolves exaggerated differences between rural and urban Ontario (parties wouldn't always have "safe" regions where they can take every riding)

But what about its advantages on the City of Ottawa? How would it change things here? Of our city's seven ridings five were won by Liberals and two by Tories in 2003.



Some quick facts:

• the Greens, New Democrats, and PCs were the most disadvantaged here in the city (in that order)
• Under MMP our city would have been represented by (approximately): 3 Liberals, 3 PCs, and 1 New Democrat
• Percentage of the votes per party in the city: Liberal: 45%, PC: 40%, NDP: 10%

Let's vote in favour of a system that shows our true colours!

Support from Down Under

Steve Withers, an expat Ontarian living in New Zealand has returned to Ontario to encourage us to adopt the Mixed Member Proportional vote.

Our cousins down under adopted MMP 11 years ago, ditching first-past-the-post. He shares how MMP works in reality. Here is an exerpt from his article:

"I live in the Otaki riding, north of Wellington, on the west coast of the North Island. Otaki is a mainly rural riding. The largest towns are Levin and the north end of Paraparaumu. The local MP is Darren Hughes of the Labour Party. Local Labourites selected him as their candidate. He has offices in the main streets of Levin and Paraparaumu.

Not far away in both towns are the riding offices of Nathan Guy. He is a list MP for the National Party. He came second to Hughes in the local race, but was high enough on the list that he was also elected by his party's vote nationally.

So the voters of Otaki have two MPs, one from each major party, competing head to head to serve them.

But wait, there's more. Sue Kedgley, a list MP from the Green Party, also serves the Otaki electorate as well as the other nine ridings of the Wellington region. Her ads are in the weekly give-aways inviting Otaki voters to talk to her on issues of concern.

Why do they do this? Because under MMP, every vote counts everywhere. The politicians can't ignore anyone. The whole idea of winning an election by pandering to swing voters in a few marginals becomes obsolete."

Withers goes on to point out:

• most democracies in the world use a form of proportional representation,
• MMP provides governments that are just as stable as under our present system,
• minority governments don't sign their own death warrants in hopes of getting a majority because it's not guaranteed they'll get it.

This is a golden opportunity to get rid of our phony "majority governments" and provide true democracy to Ontario.

To volunteer with Vote for MMP-Ottawa please contact me.

PC MPP skeptical of MMP list MPPs

No, I couldn't fit any more acronyms in.

Long-time Eastern Ontario PC MPP Bob Runciman (Leeds-Grenville) is skeptical of MMP. An article in the Brockville Record & Times cited Runciman as questionning some of the proposed system's merits.

"There are some real shortcomings with what they are talking about now - more politicians and a significant number of them being appointed by the backroom people in the various political parties," he said.

In actuality, 39 MPPs would be elected from the lists. The remaining 90 in the current riding-based system. The individual parties must state, before the election, how they have formulated their lists. In other words, who would vote for a party if the leader's best golfing buddies were on it? The lists are a way for the parties to sell themselves to the voters by way of putting dynamic individuals on the lists, be it in regards to their sex, regional location, or other politically marketable quality.

Furthermore, it is in and of itself a very large break with our current tradition of nominating MPPs. Party members are convened to nominate a candidate or sometimes the candidate is even selected directly by the leader. If a party leader still wishes to do that then that's fine, they simply have to tell the electorate that.

First post, quick facts

Welcome to the first post of the Vote YES for MMP Campaign - Ottawa. More posts are on the way but here are the quick facts:
-Ontarians will vote in a referendum on the same day as the next provincial election (October 10, 2007) on whether or not to adopt or reject a new voting system
-to learn more on MMP please go to the Citizens' Assembly home page, here
-if you would like to learn more or to volunteer please email me