Transcript Voting - Winston Knoll Collegiate

In Canada and Around the World
The Least You Should Know
What is gerrymandering and how can it be fixed?
2. Explain the following voting systems:
1.
1.
2.
3.
First Past the Post
Preferential Voting
Mixed Member
3. Three ways governments impact you.
4. Who can vote in Canada.
5. How can do you vote in Canada.
6. List the alternative ways to vote in Canada.
Before you can understand voting you need to see the results so
you know what we are talking about.
Actual Results
of 2011 election
The chart to the
PARTY
right shows the
actual number of
seats that each party Bloc Quebecois
won during the 2011
Conservative
election.
Green
Liberal
NDP
Other
Total
Number of
Seats
4
166
1
34
103
0
308
The 2011
Federal Election
PARTY
Bloc Quebecois
To the right you will
see a chart showing Conservative
the popular vote (%
of people) who
Green
voted for each of the
major parties during Liberal
the 2011 election.
NDP
% of the
Vote
6.04
39.62
3.91
18.91
30.63
Other
0.89
Total
100.00
One possible
result of 2011
election
The table to the right
shows what the results
of the 2011 federal
election would be IF
each party received
the same percentage
of seats as the
percentage of votes
that it won.
PARTY
% of
the
Vote
% of
the
seats
Bloc
Quebecois
Conservative
6.04
18.6
39.62
3.91
18.91
30.63
0.89
100.00
122
12
58.2
94.3
2.7
307.8
Green
Liberal
NDP
Other
Total
PARTY
The Difference
The chart to the
right shows the
difference between
the actual number
of seats won and the
number of seats that
would have been
won based on
popular vote.
Bloc
Quebecois
Number % of the Change
of Seats Seats by
Actually Popular
Vote
Won
4
18.6
-14.6
166
122
+44
Green
1
12
-11
Liberal
34
58.2
-24.2
NDP
103
94.3
+8.7
Other
0
2.7
-2.7
Total
308
308
0
Conservative
So the question you should be asking is: Why is
there a difference?
The answer is two fold:
1. That Canada decides who
represents Canadians based on
electoral districts not popular vote.
The next two slides electoral maps
in Canada.
2. How Canadians set up those
electoral districts will have a HUGE
impact on who is elected.
The following slides show what type of electoral system Canada
uses as well as several others that are used around the world.
As always it is up to you to decide which one of these systems is
best.
First Past the Post Voting (FPP)
 The voter only votes for one candidate and whoever
gets the highest number of votes is elected.
 It is the easiest vote counting system to calculate
results.
 The winning candidate is the one who gains more
votes than any other candidate, but not necessarily an
absolute majority (50% + 1).
 FPP is used in the United Kingdom, Canada, India,
and the United States.
Two Round System (TRS)
 The TRS is conducted in the same way as an FPP
election and if a candidate receives an absolute
majority of votes, they are elected.
 If no candidate receives an absolute majority a second
round of voting is conducted, often a week or two later
and the winner of this round is declared elected.
 The TRS is used in countries such as France, Mali,
Togo, Egypt, Iran, Belarus and Ukraine.
Preferential Voting (PV)
 Electors must rank all candidates by placing the number ‘1’
for their preferred candidate and consecutive numbers
from ‘2’ for their 2nd choice, ‘3’ for their 3rd choice and so
on until all candidates are numbered.
 If no candidate has an absolute majority, the candidate
with the lowest number of 1st preferences is eliminated,
and their ballot papers are examined for 2nd preferences to
be assigned to remaining candidates in the order as
marked.
 The totals are then checked and this process is repeated
until one candidate has an absolute majority.
 PV is used in the Australian federal House of
Representatives and in Nauru.
List Proportional Representation
(List PR)
 List PR is used in multi-member electorates where
votes are cast in order of preference for the parties
which have registered a list of candidates.
 Parties receive seats in proportion to their overall share
of the total vote and winning candidates are taken
from the lists in order of their position.
Mixed Member Proportional
(MMP)
 A proportion of the parliament is elected by majority
methods, usually from single-member electorates,
while the remainder come from PR Lists.
 Under MMP systems, the List PR seats compensate for
any disproportions produced by the district seat
results.
 MMP is used in countries such as Germany, New
Zealand, Italy and Venezuela.
The whys and how to’s
Why Vote?
 When we vote, we choose the representatives who will make the laws
and policies that govern how we live together.
 Compared to other forms of political participation, voting does
not require a lot of time or effort – in other words, it is one of the
easiest ways to have a say in how your society is governed.
 According to research commissioned by Elections Canada, only 25.4%
of 18 to 24-year-olds voted at the 2000 general election. That means
nearly 75% of young Canadians did not participate in selecting this
country's government.
 When politicians know in advance that most young people don't vote,
they may be less interested in making the effort to be responsive to
issues that matter to younger Canadians.
 By not voting, young Canadians may be sending a message to
politicians that young electors don't want to hear from them.
Government’s Impact on YOU
 Increased government spending
means that tuition or fees may
be kept the same or even
lowered. It also means that the
institution may be able to offer
more classes or services.
 Decreased government spending
means that institutions may
have to increase tuition or fees to
meet costs or they might cut
down on the number of classes
or services offered.
Government’s Impact on YOU
 In Saskatchewan all new
drivers have a one year
probation.
 Federal government
through the CRTC
decides what is shown
on Canadian TVs and
radio.
 Federal government
regulates and controls
the use of firearms.
Government’s Impact on YOU
 In 2008 the Saskatchewan
people celebrated Tax Freedom
Day (the day Canadians have
paid off the total tax bill
imposed on them by
government and can finally start
working for themselves) on June
20.
 Our governments decide what
you pay in direct taxes – income
tax, GST, and PST.
 Our government also decides
what you pay in indirect taxes
which in Saskatchewan
includes: gas, electricity, auto
insurance, and possibly phone
service.
Who can vote?
 You may vote in this federal election if you:
 are a Canadian citizen
 will be 18 or older on election day
 are registered to vote
How to Vote
 The date, hours and address of your election day poll
will be available on the election Canada website, on
your voter information card or by calling Elections
Canada.
 You must be registered to vote; if you aren't, you can
register online at the elections Canada website, or
register at your polling place, just before you vote.
 You must prove your identity and address:



One Government issued photo id. such as driver’s license
Two pieces of id. without a photo
Swear an oath and be vouched for by an elector
Other Ways to Vote
Advanced Polls
Elections Canada Office
 Same as voting on election
 You can vote in person at your local
Elections Canada office for most of the
election period.
day
 Dates and locations are also
on your voter information
card
 Open to anyone for any
reason
 After an election is called, Elections
Canada sets up local offices in every
riding in Canada.
 To vote at your local office, you must
complete an Application for Registration
and Special Ballot. Staff can help you
with this form, if you'd like. You must
show proof of your identity and home
address.
 Once your special ballot application is
accepted, staff will give you a special
ballot voting kit. You can vote on the
spot. Or, if you prefer, you can come
back to the office to submit your vote
Other Ways to Vote
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Vote by Mail
Voting by mail or at a local Elections Canada office means voting by special ballot.
Anyone may vote by special ballot, but you must apply for this ballot in advance.
Your application must be received at Elections Canada by the special ballot registration
deadline: 6 p.m. on the Tuesday before election day.
 Once your application is accepted, we will give you a special ballot voting kit. This kit
includes:
 a special ballot
 two envelopes (they keep your vote secret)
 instructions on how to mark and mail in your special ballot
 Your completed special ballot must arrive at Elections Canada by the election day
deadline, or it will not be counted.
 Once your application to vote by special ballot has been accepted, this is the only way you
can vote. You cannot vote at the advance or election day polls or apply for another special
ballot.
 You may vote only once during an election, and you may vote only for a candidate
running in your riding.
Voting Day
 In Saskatchewan poll stations are open from
7:30 am to 7:30 pm when daylight savings time
is in effect.
 When daylight savings time is NOT in effect poll
stations are open 8:30 am to 8:30 pm.
 Your employer in MOST cases MUST provide 3
consecutive hours for you to vote
Counting Votes
 After the polls close, every deputy returning officer counts the votes for
his or her polling station, assisted by the poll clerk and witnessed by
the candidates or their representatives.
 The deputy returning officer records the number of votes received by
each candidate and the number of rejected ballots on a Statement of
the Vote. The ballots and other election documents are then sealed in
the ballot box and delivered to the returning officer.
 Every returning officer validates the results by adding the totals given
on each Statement of the Vote. The returning officer then delivers a
certificate announcing the validated results to the candidates. In the
absence of an application for a judicial recount, on the seventh day
after the validation, he or she writes the name of the candidate who has
received the most votes on the election writ, signs the writ and returns
it to the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada.
Judicial Recounts
 A judicial recount occurs automatically if the two leading
candidates are separated by less than one one-thousandth
of the total votes cast in the electoral district or if they
receive the same number of votes after the validation.
 As well, any elector may apply for a judge to carry out a
judicial recount within four days of the validation of the
results, with a $250 deposit and an affidavit that the count
was improperly carried out, ballot papers were improperly
rejected or the returning officer carried out the validation
improperly.
 In the very rare cases where the two leading candidates still
have the same number of votes after the recount, a byelection is held for that electoral district.
Contested Elections
 After a person is declared elected, any elector who was
eligible to vote in a district or any candidate in that
district may bring an application for a contested
election before a judge.
 In a contested election proceeding, a judge is required
to determine whether the person who won the election
was eligible to be a candidate or whether there were
any other irregularities, fraud, or corrupt or illegal
practices that affected the result of the election.
 This is a court proceeding at the end of which the
judge either dismisses the application or invalidates
the result of the election.
 An appeal from this decision can be brought to the
Supreme Court of Canada.
Credits
 Most of the previous information and a great deal
more may be found at Elections Canada’s website at
http://www.elections.ca/home.asp
 Official Party web sites:
 Bloc Quebecois:
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http://www.blocquebecois.org/horizon2015/accueil.php
Conservatives: http://www.conservative.ca/
Green Party: http://www.greenparty.ca/
Liberal Party: http://www.liberal.ca/
NDP: http://www.ndp.ca/