Ontario bill 213 indicates voting reform on track (June 14, 2005)

June 14, 2005

FAIR VOTE ONTARIO - NEWS

THIRD READING OF BILL 213 INDICATES ONTARIO VOTING REFORM IS "ON TRACK"

The third reading of Bill 213 yesterday afternoon, enabling the establishment of an Ontario citizens' assembly for electoral reform, indicates that citizen-driven voting reform is still on track, said Fair Vote Ontario chair Joe Murray. Fair Vote Ontario is the provincial arm of Fair Vote Canada, a multi-partisan citizens' campaign pressing for adoption of a proportional voting system.

"We commend the government for following through on their commitment to become the second province in Canada - in fact, the second jurisdiction anywhere in the world - to provide an independent citizen-driven process for voting system reform," said Murray. "Canadians are ready for reform, believe in voter equality and want fair election outcomes. This is certainly a step in the right direction."

Murray indicated that Fair Vote Ontario will continue to press the Ontario government to improve the citizens' assembly and referendum process recently pioneered in British Columbia. Among the key FVO recommendations for improvements are:

1) allowing the citizens' assembly, if they fail to reach consensus on a single alternative, to recommend more than one voting system alternative, in which case the referendum would use a preference ballot to allow voters to rank their choices in order to identify the preferred voting system;

2) allowing the assembly to recommend the addition of seats to the legislature if, in their view, that would facilitate a better voting system and better political representation;

3) ensuring that a variety of expert opinion is available to the citizens' assembly at all stages, particularly when refining and evaluating voting system alternatives;

4) setting a simple majority threshold in the referendum for enactment of reform; and

5) budgeting adequate funds for public education before and during the referendum.

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[ This Message was edited by: admin on 2005-06-20 16:17 ]