Join the democratic revolution! - Fair Vote student campaign

[largeheartedboy]

Five ways you can help Ontario’s democratic revolution!

[email protected]

An Open Letter Ontario students and youth:

First, I want you to circle October 10, 2007, on your calendar, because that’s the day we change Ontario politics forever.

But we need you – and thousands of other students and youth – to step up and help make it happen. This is your personal invitation to make political history. On October 10, we’ll have the opportunity to cast out our antiquated electoral system and replace it with a new democratic voting system that is more responsive to young voters and everyone else.

As you may aware (or not, the mainstream media is doing a great job ignoring them!), the Ontario Citizens’ Assembly, composed of randomly selected voters, is studying the question of voting system reform for Ontario. Next month, they are very likely to recommend that Ontario adopt a new voting system, probably based on proportional representation. If the Assembly recommends a new system, that recommendation will be put to voters in a referendum to be held in conjunction with the October 10 provincial election.

What’s At Stake?

Political power. The future direction of our province. Legislation on issues like health care, education, the environment.

The voting system matters. It matters a lot, because the voting system allocates political power, creates parliaments and determines who forms governments. That in turn determines who calls the shots on issues that affect our communities, our society and the environment.

The stakes are incredibly high. If we change the voting system, giving every Ontarian an equal and effective vote, we change the entire political arena. If we change the voting system in Canada’s largest province, the political effect will be felt right across the country. Politics as usual will be over!

How Bad is the Current System?

It’s intolerable. Ontarians (and all Canadians) suffer the effects of the world’s worst electoral system – first-past-the post.

Typically, a party gets about 40 percent of the votes, wins 60 percent or more of the seats and then wields 100 percent of the power, as though it had a majority mandate. Meanwhile opposition voices are diminished and other minority voices are completely shut out of the political process.

Are There Better Ways to Vote?

Yes. Almost all the Western democracies scrapped first-past-the-post voting last century, and adopted voting systems designed to treat all voters equally and give fair and proportional election results. More than 80 democracies, including almost all of Western Europe use various forms of these fair and proportional voting systems. Each has developed a version to fit their distinctive political cultures and geography – Ontario can do likewise.

Fair voting systems provide better results for citizens. They elect more women and visible minorities and have higher voter turnouts. Voters feel better represented and are happier with government policies. Finally, fair voting systems have been shown to have better environmental policies, higher energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

What Can You Do To Make It Happen?

Fair Vote Canada, through our Fair Vote Ontario campaign, is preparing to win the fight for a fair and democratic voting system in October. To ensure that young voters know the importance of a fair voting system, Fair Vote is organizing a student and youth campaign to be active on campuses this Fall.

Here is how you can help:

1) Visit the Fair Vote Canada www.fairvote.ca and Fair Vote Ontario www.fairvote.ca/ontario website. Learn more about the issues and our campaign.

2) Volunteer to help the Fair Vote Ontario student and youth campaign to win the October 4 referendum. To keep informed email me at [email protected].

3) Bring the issue of voting reform to organizations you are involved with. Encourage them to endorse our campaign and support a renewed democracy.

4) Get together with your friends and organize a Fair Vote chapter on your campus. We are looking for coordinating teams on every Ontario campus. If this interests you, please contact us.

5) Most importantly: forward this email to friends and other email lists!

Democratic reform is a do-it-yourself project for citizens. We cannot depend on the media or those in positions of power to lead the democracy revolution. It’s up to us! Let’s do it!

Yours for a strong democracy,

Mark Greenan

Interim Chair

Student and Youth Campaign

Fair Vote Ontario

[email protected]

[Charles Anthony]

Do we need a new electoral reform thread?

Here is a recent one:

Electoral reform?

Five ways you can help Ontario’s democratic revolution!

I have a better way: abstain.

The voting system matters. It matters a lot, because the voting system allocates political power, creates parliaments and determines who forms governments.

I disagree.

No matter what voting system you choose, you will still have a select few people who exercise coercive power over other people.

How Bad is the Current System?

It’s intolerable.

I agree.

However, any type of voting will do well enough: eliminate the ability for politicians to assume they have permanent control over their jobs.

[guyser]

Five ways you can help Ontario’s democratic revolution!

Tell ya what Mark. Why not stop wasting time on changing the ways and hows of voting , and concentrating on getting students and young people to get off their ass and vote.

One in four votes. What was Canadian Idol on the same time?

When you and the young people show an interest in voting , the rest of the powers that be will show an interest in hearing what you have to say.

[Figleaf]

The solution to the democratic deficit is NOT to enact a complicated experimental method that would:

a-entrench a list of political insiders from each party effectively untouchable in the legislature, forever;

b-put people in the legislature who don't represent anyone but their parties, no constituents; and

c-guarantee minority governments and balkanized legislatures: 5 Green Liberation Front, 7 Front Liberation Vert, 8 Northern Lights Party, 9 Molson's Blue Party, 9 Labatt's Canadian Party, 12 Fundamental Heritage Moments Party, 22 NDP, 34 Tory Bastards, 44 Liberals.

[geoffrey]

One of the few times I'll agree with Figleaf. Direct accountability is the best thing we get in our system. People don't take advantage of that, but blame the ignorant not the system.

People won't be any less ignorant under a new system, 'largeheartedboy', your idealism is profound, and incorrect.

[Kapitän Rotbart]

Five ways you can help Ontario’s democratic revolution!

Tell ya what Mark. Why not stop wasting time on changing the ways and hows of voting , and concentrating on getting students and young people to get off their ass and vote.

One in four votes. What was Canadian Idol on the same time?

When you and the young people show an interest in voting , the rest of the powers that be will show an interest in hearing what you have to say.

I'll have to agree. However, living in Ottawa during the last election, most kids I knew intended on voting (sadly many believed the lies of His Satanic Majesty Paul Martin who made some silly promises about tuition).

I don't care if my democracy is fair, I only care that it is just (that all votes be counted). A fair system is a communist system.

[Mad_Michael]

As one who has studied the comparative effect of different electoral systems, I categorically oppose any 'proportional representation' model.

While the 'first past the post' system may have some flaws (it does) it is less likely to produce electoral & public policy gridlock as is so common in any nation that uses the 'proportional-representation' model.

Giving disproportionately large and influential political power to the smallest and most extreme political interests is not my idea of an improvement upon the present system.

The existing 'first-past-the-post' model is the one most likely to produce the large 'big-tent' style political parties that facilitate a reduction in regional and/or sectoral interests. Proportional-rep systems tend to exerbate and magnify regional and/or sectoral interests.

[M.Dancer]

Youth, are a minority, they have a much say in the world as they deserve.

[Mad_Michael]

Youth, are a minority, they have a much say in the world as they deserve.

Alas, I'm not young enough any more to know the answer to everything.

[ScottSA]

I see that gridlock government is 'in' this year. Watch what happens when this kind of system has national emergencies to deal with or when there is a polarizing issue at stake. Oh wait, we know. See: Weimar Republic, French Third Republic, Liberum Veto...hell, look at the mess Germany would be in today if ever it wanted to move as a nation on anything. Europe and the allegedly "advanced" democracies have had the good fortune to evolve under the American deterrence umbrella and have been spared the need to actually make any far-reaching decisions of any national importance. Now they're attempting to solve that problem by merging into the EU, which amounts to complete and utter gridlock, ending almost inevitably in dissolution back into nationalist particulars.