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Canadian & World Politics www.CraigMarlatt.com/school Voting Process
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Page 1: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Canadian & World Politicswww.CraigMarlatt.com/school

Voting Process

Page 2: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Voting Process

1. Electoral Systems

2. Electoral Reform

Page 3: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

• While numerous variations exist, including complex combinations of multiple systems, there are five main electoral systems:

1. First Past the Post (FPTP)

2. Runoff

3. Proportional Representation (PR)

4. Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)

5. Electoral College (only in the US, only for Pres.)

Page 4: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

1. First Past the Post (FPTP)

• In FPTP systems, the winning candidate is simply the person who wins most votes.

• In theory, a candidate could be elected with two votes, if every other candidate only secured a single vote.

• FPTP systems are mainly used in former British Empire countries.

Page 5: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

Page 6: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

2. Runoff

• Runoff voting is where successive rounds of voting are held until a candidate wins a majority of the positive votes.

• After each inconclusive round, those candidates at the bottom whose votes together do not add up to the votes of the next candidate are eliminated.

• Presidential elections in France and Finland as well as selecting Olympic host cities use this process of voting

Page 7: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

3. Proportional Representation (PR)

• PR systems give political parties in parliament or legislative assemblies a number of seats approximately proportional to the percentage of vote they received.

• PR systems are used in Israel, The Netherlands, and Cambridge MA (most jurisdictions do not appear to use the “pure” PR method)

Page 8: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

4. Mixed Member Proportionality (MMP)

• A hybrid system of both FPTP and PR

• Each voter casts a vote for a local candidate (who wins by obtaining the most votes) AND a vote for the political party of their choosing (which wins seats based on the total popular vote)

• MMP is used in Germany, Mexico, Italy, New Zealand, and other parts of the world

Page 9: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

Vote for a local candidate

…AND vote for a party

Page 10: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

5. Electoral College

• How to elect the President of the United States?

• Each state is represented by a number of individuals proportionate to its seats in Congress, that is, two Senators and a number of Representatives based on the state's population.

• There are 538 electors, so 270 votes are required to win the presidency.

• The process for selecting electors varies throughout the United States (each state decides the process for choosing its “electors”)

Page 11: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

• 48 out of the 50 states award electoral votes on a winner-takes-all basis (exceptions: Maine and Nebraska).

• For example, all 55 of California's electoral votes go to the winner of that state election, even if the margin of victory is only 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent.

• It is therefore quite possible that a presidential candidate can win the majority of the popular vote nationally, but not become president.

Page 12: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

Page 13: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Systems

• Given the previous slide’s distribution of numbers, it is possible to win the presidential election by winning in just 12 states!

– The big 5: NY, PA, FL, TX, CA = 167

PLUS IL, NJ, NC, GA, MI, IN, MA = 273

– Other interesting divisions: There are only 219 electoral votes available west of the Mississippi River

Page 14: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Reform

• Voter Apathy– Why Don’t People Vote? (Maclean’s)– Why Are People Not Voting? (Maple Leaf Web)– Explaining the Turnout Decline… (StatsCan Study)– The Importance of One Vote

• Solutions?– Education– Compulsory Voting– Others?

Page 15: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Reform

• Voting System Reform in Canada

www.fairvote.ca

Page 16: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Reform

• Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (Ontario)

www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca

Page 17: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Reform

• Students' Assembly on Electoral Reform (Ontario)

Page 18: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Reform

• I am a grade 12 student at Anderson CVI. I am planning on majoring in Political Science at the University of Toronto. I love politics, one day I would like to work for the Canadian Government or the United Nations. I am an active participant in my community; I volunteer at many places including the YMCA. I am also part of the Culture of Peace Committee at my school and am part of many groups including the HIV/AIDS campaign, and plan on starting my own committee on stopping the use of child soldiers in Sudan.

Page 19: Canadian & World Politics  Voting Process.

Electoral Reform

• Minister for Democratic Reform (Canada)– First, we've introduced legislation

to modernize the Senate to make it more democratic, more accountable, and more representative of Canadians.

– Second, we are enhancing our electoral system to make it more responsive, fair and effective.

– Third, we are eliminating the per-vote subsidy for political parties.