After every election, it is traditional for electoral reform organizations to speculate on what the result would have been under their preferred system. So what would it have looked like under preferential voting, using a ranked ballot? The answer, according to experts, is that we don’t know. Polling is not sophisticated enough to determine the real preferences that voters would…
2019 Federal Results Show the Need For Preferential Voting
Preliminary results of the federal election show us that 123 ridings (surely that number is a sign) were won with more than 50% of the votes. That means that for 215 other ridings, we do not know whether the elected MP is the one that the voters actually prefer. In a lot of cases, the vote is split several ways.…
The Year 2018 in Electoral Reform
2018 has been a good year for electoral reform, with many jurisdictions deciding to leave First Past the Post behind. It has not, however, been a good year for Proportional Representation. And a clear pattern has emerged of when electoral reform was successful and when it failed. British Columbia held its third referendum on Proportional Representation. This one had several…
Is floor crossing legitimate?
The recent decision by Leona Alleslev to change political parties two years after being elected has caused some people to question whether this change is legitimate, that is to say whether voters elect an individual or vote for a party. Those who are loyal to their political party in particular are convinced that everyone votes for the party, not the person. …
BC Chooses Dishonest Electoral Reform Referendum
There is good news and bad news on the BC electoral reform front. The good news is that BC has decided to use preferential voting in its referendum. The bad news, part of it anyway, is that preferential voting can only be used if you support proportional representation. The bad news continues: preferential voting is not one of the four options that…
Current Ontario Elections Shows Why Preferential Voting Is Needed
The current Ontario election is a perfect situation demonstrating why preferential voting is needed. The polls show that this election is not about which candidate or government voters want, it is about which one they do not want. According to a recent poll, a third of total voters, and half the voters for candidates of one party are voting only…
Preferential vs Proportional, why can’t we all get along?
As an organization, 123 Canada tries its best not to criticize those who support proportional representation, and we don’t think that there is anything inherently wrong with wanting more proportional election results. It’s simply not high on our list of priorities. However, mathematics is unforgiving, and there are few electoral systems that guarantee more proportionality without going in the wrong direction on the…
Who Should Decide Who Forms The Government?
Two recent elections in proportional representation electoral systems illustrate a major difference between those and single-member plurality or majority systems. New Zealand spent a month without knowing who would form the government. Candidates of the National Party won 41 of the 71 electorate seats and Labour won 29. New Zealand First won none. However, compensatory seats are awarded to parties who…
Two Elections, Two Reminders Why Preferential Is Better
The presidential elections in France were on April 23 and the BC provincial elections were on May 10. Both were close races with strong newcomers. France elects its president directly, with a two-round system. In the first round four candidates got between 20% and 24% of the vote. All but the top two were eliminated, including the candidates of both…
Statement by 123 Canada regarding the April 3, 2017 byelections
123 Canada, the national non-partisan electoral reform organization, wishes to congratulate all candidates, volunteers, and voters who took part in the five April 3, 2017 byelections. This is a rare day in Canadian electoral history: every riding has a true majority. Welcome to the House of Commons, Bob Benzen, Stephanie Kusie, Mary Ng, Mona Fortier, and Emmanuella Lambropoulos, who at the time of writing all seem headed…