Sunday, September 16, 2007

New Electoral System Referendum (click)

Comparison Notes

First Past the Post (FPP) versus Mixed Member Porportional System (MMP)
107 electoral districts and 107 seats versus 90 electoral districts and 129 seats
FPP - you vote for a candidate for one electoral district
MMP - 90 seats are for the Local members, who are the equivalent to the current candidates we vote for in the current FPP system.
- Then there are 39 seats for the List Members. This is what sets the MMP system apart from the FPP system.

List Members
Before an election, each party puts forward a list of members they want to get seats for in the FPP system. If people give 19 of the 39 seats for List Members to Party A, then Party A gets 19 more seats in addition to the FPP vote. If Party B gets 50 votes in the FPP vote, and Party A gets 20 votes, then Party B would win even if it got only 10 votes in the List Member vote. Why? Because the overall total for Party B is 60 votes, whereas Party A only gets 39 votes in total.

What are we voting on?
We are not only voting on a candidate who represents us at the Provincial Legislature. We're also voting for a party. Sometimes, the person you think is the best candidate may not be of the party that you prefer to have running the government. So, in the MMP system, you get to voice both requests. One for the candidate who would best represent you, as well as the party whose policies are most in line with your values.

Since the List Member is selected by the political party and not by us, the public, then how can we make sure that this List Member candidate will work for us? We will have to contact this candidate and convey our wishes to them. This sounds like more work that I have to do to reach a person who isn't necessarily chosen to work for me. So, I'm wondering if this is an effective way for me to make my voice heard?

FAQ Page
Noteworthy is " Can I see an example of how the proposed Mixed Member Proportional System would work?" This question will show you links to the Citizen's Assembly report, where they paint hypothetical scenarios of what might happen, and what implications that would have if we did adopt an MMP system.

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