PEI Holds Most Distorted Election in Canada this Year
September 30, 2003
FAIR VOTE CANADA: News Release
Sept. 30, 2003
Prince Edward Island Holds Most Distorted Election in Canada this Year
Yesterday's election in Prince Edward Island set two records: 1) the Progressive Conservatives won a third consecutive majority for the first time; and 2) PEI gained the dubious honour of having the most distorted provincial election outcome this year.
"As many Islanders are well aware, Canada's first-past-the-post voting system can wildly distort what voters say at the ballot box," explained Doris Anderson, president of Fair Vote Canada. "Some parties gain a much higher portion of seats than their portion of the popular vote. Others parties are penalized with far fewer seats than they deserve. Unfortunately, PEI has some of the most distorted outcomes in Canada, with the opposition being severely under-represented."
Anderson noted that Canada has had an extraordinary number of provincial elections this year - five so far, with two more scheduled in the coming weeks. The following chart shows the percentage of the popular vote and the seats for the winning parties in the five elections held so far. The difference between the percentages of the votes and seats illustrates the distortion created by the first-past-the-post voting system.
Winning Parties in Provincial Elections - 2003
Popular Votes
Seats Won
Difference (or Distortion)
New Brunswick
45%
51%
6%
Nova Scotia
36%
48%
12%
Manitoba
49%
61%
12%
Quebec
46%
61%
15%
PEI
54%
85%
31%
"With Premier Binns returning to office, we hope to see renewed consideration of alternative voting systems based on proportional representation," said Larry Gordon, executive director of Fair Vote Canada. "While Quebec and British Columbia are also engaged in studying the alternatives, PEI still has an opportunity to lead the nation in voting system reform. We encourage Premier Binns to continue this important assessment process."
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