Rock the (Legislative) Hizzouse

Mark That Ballot: Don't even think about wasting this one.Okay. So you don't really spend your days and nights thinking about electoral reform. The sound of the whole thing starts to sound like a boring social studies flashback every time it comes up on the news. But here's the thing: what you don't know can hurt you. Or at least annoy, irk, or irritate you well into the future. And we wouldn't want that, would we?

Ontario is currently facing one of the most unique referendums in Canada's history. Next Wednesday (October 10), residents of the province will be given the opportunity to potentially improve voter representation. What does this mean? Your vote means more than one vote. In fact, it could mean two. On election/referendum day, voters will be given two ballots. The first will ask for your candidate choice (the same old, same old). The second will ask which electoral system you'd like to see in motion through which members will be elected to the provincial legislature.

That part? That's the fun part.

So, with all this information firmly in place, let's look at the options and where they can take you. (If you don't feel like getting into the guts of the systems, jump right now to the quick synopsis!)

First Past the Post: The Old Standard

You know the deal here. You're in one of Ontario's 107 electoral districts. You check out your local candidates. You find one you don't find entirely loathsome. You investigate his/her party line. You don't think that line entirely matches your line. You consider your second choice. His/her party line is closer to yours, but you find his/her personal take on some issue rather close to your heart a little frustrating. It's a tough decision, but you finally make it. The candidate with the most votes wins (ah, so obvious, yet I'm including this information just the same) and becomes your representative in the provincial legislature.

The other millions of people throughout the province are going through the same conundrum as you are. They also come to some reluctant but better-than-nothing decision (because heaven forbid you don't vote - a wasted ballot is still a political statement if you deem it to be, so let's not even include the no-show option here) and the party that wins the most districts is asked to form a government. Your elected member represents your district. Life goes on.

Quick. Clean. Easy. But not necessarily best.

MMP: The New Kid on The Block

This new system being proposed by the Ontario Citizens' Assembly would allow voters to choose both a provincial party and a local candidate, effectively giving each voter two Parliamentary votes. However, when I say this, I don't just mean (a) pick your local fave, and (b) pick your party fave. (Picture a landslide of local NDP winners versus a provincial Conservative choice? You see why it's not that easy.)

Nope, the province would be split into 90 electoral districts (note this is a reduction, and everyone loves that), wherein each voter would choose both Local and List Members. The local crew would follow the classic process, directly making up nearly 70% of the legislature with 90 seats. The balance? Well, all those Lister votes would be accumulated and split into shares.