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ERRE Committee Report

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APPENDIX E: E-CONSULTATION ON ELECTORAL REFORM

Introduction and Consent Form

The House of Commons has created a Special Committee on Electoral Reform to identify viable alternative federal voting systems to replace the first-past-the-post system and to conduct a study of them, as well as to examine mandatory voting and online voting. As part of its mandate, the Committee is using various tools and methods to consult with Canadians. This e-consultation is one such consultation tool intended to solicit Canadians’ views both on voting and on the election of Members of Parliament. The Committee’s report to the House of Commons will take into consideration the results of this consultation.

What to Expect

Before completing the e-consultation, you will have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with background material on electoral systems. If you consent to participate in this e-consultation, you can expect to complete the questionnaire within approximately 30 minutes.

You do not need to complete the questionnaire in one sitting. You can interrupt the e-consultation at any question, save your work, and return to it at a later time. If you plan to complete the e-consultation in more than one sitting, it is recommended that you bookmark this webpage.

Until you complete the entire questionnaire and submit your responses, you can use the 'Previous' and 'Next' buttons at the bottom of each page to review your answers.

Use the 'Submit' button at the end of the questionnaire to submit your completed e-consultation.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding this e-consultation or experience difficulties with the content or functionalities of the website, please contact the Clerks of the Committee at ERRE@parl.gc.ca.

Statement of Consent

I understand that my participation in this e-consultation on electoral reform is entirely voluntary.

By participating in the e-consultation I consent to the use and disclosure of submitted information as outlined in the Additional Information, E-Consultation Important Notices.

  •  Yes

Electoral Systems 101

At its most basic, an electoral system sets out how votes get translated into seats in a legislature. Some important characteristics that differentiate electoral systems from one another are these:

  • Ballot: Does the elector place a mark beside a single candidate’s name (making more than one mark spoils the ballot), or must the elector rank or order candidates or parties from a list on the ballot?
  • Number of candidates per constituency: In each constituency, is one candidate elected or are multiple candidates elected?
  • Procedure to determine winners: How many steps are there, and therefore how simple or complex is it to determine how many seats each party has won and which candidate has won which seat?
  • Threshold for determining winners: What is the percentage of votes needed for a candidate or party to obtain a seat?

Electoral systems are generally grouped in three categories:

  • plurality or majority systems, where the winning candidate is the individual who garners the most votes in an electoral district;
  • proportional representation systems, which seek to closely match a political party’s overall vote share across the country with its seat allocation in the legislature; and
  • mixed electoral systems, which combine elements of a plurality or majority system with proportional representation (citizens generally cast two votes – one for a local representative and one for a political party).

For more information on electoral reform, please consult the background paper Electoral Systems and Electoral Reform in Canada and Elsewhere: An Overview, prepared by the Library of Parliament.

Respondent Identification

  • Contact information:
    • First name  
    • Last name  
    • Email  
  • Postal code: (Without spaces)
    •  
  • Province/Territory:

    Using the drop-down list below, please select your province/territory of residence or indicate if you are living abroad.

    •  
  • Gender:
    •  Female
       Male
       Transgender
       Other / Not specified
  • Age Group:
    •  17 and under
       18-24
       25-34
       35-44
       45-54
       55-64
       65-74
       75 and over
  • Primary official language:
    •  English
       French
       Bilingual
  • Do you self-identify as:

    You may check all that apply.

    •  Indigenous
       Individual with a disability
       New Canadian
       A resident of a rural or remote community
  • Are you a Canadian citizen?
    •  Yes
       No
  • Did you vote in the last federal election, which took place in October 2015?
    •  Yes
       No

Your Vote

  • Do you vote in federal elections?
    •  On every occasion that I have been eligible to vote
       Sometimes
       No
  • When you vote, do you feel that your vote “counts”?
    •  Yes
       No
  • (Optional) Please tell us briefly why you feel that way:

    (Max. 150 characters)

  • When you have voted, what motivated you to cast your ballot?

    Check all that apply.

    •  Civic duty
       Support for a local candidate
       Support for party policy / platform
       Opposition to party policy / platform
       Support for a political party
       Opposition to a political party
       Support for a political party leader
       Opposition to a political party leader
       Other
  • When you have not voted, what has been the reason?

    Check all that apply.

    •  Lack of time / Other responsibilities
       Did not know where to vote
       Unable to access polling station because of physical access barriers (for example the weather, a physical obstruction, a long line at the polling station)
       Unable to access polling station because of distance barriers (polling station in inconvenient or inaccessible location)
       Unable to access polling station because of lack of transportation
       Not aware that it was election day
       Not interested
       Felt that my vote would not count / would not impact the outcome
       Did not support any candidates running in my riding
       Was unable to register to vote and/or to provide sufficient identification and/or proof of address
       Lack of confidence in candidates and/or parties and/or leaders
       Other

Goals of a Voting System

This section seeks to gauge your opinion on what an electoral system should accomplish.

  • Please indicate how important each of the following elements are to you:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means very important.

 

Not Important                         Very Important

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To know your local representative

To be affiliated with a political party

To be aware of political party platforms

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Canada’s electoral system should favour the following outcome: one political party holds a majority of seats in Parliament and is able to implement its campaign platform.

Canada’s electoral system should favour the following outcome: no single political party holds the majority of seats in Parliament, thereby increasing the likelihood that political parties will work together to pass legislation.

Canada’s electoral system should ensure that voters elect local candidates to represent them in Parliament.

Canada’s electoral system should ensure that the number of seats held by a party in Parliament reflects the proportion of votes it received across the country.

Independent candidates (not part of a political party) should be able to be elected to Parliament.

Current Electoral System

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

The current electoral system adequately reflects voters’ intentions.

If I vote for a candidate in my riding who does not win, my vote is wasted.

The current electoral system should be maintained.

The current electoral system should be changed.

The following questions seek your opinion on the elements of different voting systems. For more information on voting systems, please consult the Library of Parliament’s publication, Electoral Systems and Electoral Reform in Canada and Elsewhere: An Overview.

Plurality or Majority Systems

In plurality or majority electoral systems, the winning candidate is the individual who receives the most votes in an electoral district. Depending on the particular rules of the system, the winner may need to receive a plurality (more votes than the other candidates) or a majority (over 50% of the votes cast).

  • Example 1 – First Past the Post (FPTP): Under FPTP (the system currently used in Canada), a voter casts a single vote for a candidate to represent the electoral district in which the voter resides. The candidate who wins the most votes is elected. A party has as many seats in the legislature as it has candidates elected.

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Seats in the House of Commons should be filled by the candidates who receive the most votes in their ridings, even if they receive less than 50% of the total votes cast.

In plurality or majority electoral systems, the winning candidate is the individual who receives the most votes in an electoral district. Depending on the particular rules of the system, the winner may need to receive a plurality (or more votes than the other candidates) or a majority (over 50% of the votes cast).

  • Example 2 – Alternative Vote (AV): On the ballot, voters rank the candidates running in their electoral district in order of their preference. To be elected, a candidate must receive a majority (more than 50%) of the votes cast. If no one receives a majority on the first count, additional counts take place until a candidate wins.

As noted in the diagram, if no candidate wins a majority of the votes on the first round of counting, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and the second- preference ballots on the votes of the eliminated candidate are reallocated to the other candidates. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority.

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

In order to be elected in a riding, a candidate should have to obtain more than half of the votes cast.

For a candidate to obtain a majority of votes in one round of voting, voters should be able to rank candidates on the ballot and have the outcome determined based on a tally of preferences.

Alternatively, a second round of voting should take place between the top two candidates to determine the victor if no candidate obtains more than half the votes cast during a first round of voting.

Proportional Representation Systems

Proportional representation (PR) systems seek to closely match a political party’s seat allocation in the legislature with its vote share.

  • Example 1 – List Proportional Representation (List PR): There are two main forms of List PR: closed-list and open-list. Both forms elect members from lists of candidates drawn up by each party before election day. Voters vote for a political party (closed- list PR) or for preferred candidates from a party list (open-list PR), and each party is allocated seats in the legislature in proportion to its share of the national vote.

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Voters should vote for political parties (not specific candidates) and the seats in the House of Commons should be allocated based on the percentage of votes obtained by each political party.

Political parties should determine which of their candidates get elected from their list.

Voters should determine which candidates get elected from a party’s list and the seats in the House of Commons should be allocated based on the percentage of votes obtained by each political party.

Proportional representation (PR) systems seek to closely match a political party’s vote share with its seat allocation in the legislature.

  • Example 2 – Single Transferable Vote (STV): Citizens in multi-member electoral districts (for example of 3 to 5 representatives) rank candidates on the ballot. They may rank as few or as many candidates as they wish. Candidates get elected based on how well they rank overall. Unlike the Alternative Vote, which also uses ranking, the result in STV is proportional because each district is represented by a number of MPs that together represent the overall vote.

As noted in the diagram, a country using the STV electoral system is divided into multi-member electoral districts. In the diagram example, the district has three House of Commons seats. Five candidates run for the three seats in the electoral district. Voters rank them (1, 2, 3…) based on their preferences. To be elected, three candidates must meet or exceed the minimum number of votes needed based on the number of seats to be filled. This is called the “vote quota.” In the first count, a candidate who receives enough first-preference votes to reach the quota is elected. If there are still seats to be filled, a two-step count occurs. In the first step, any votes in excess of the quota are redistributed to the second preferences indicated on the ballots of the elected candidates. If no other candidates reach the quota, then the second step takes place in which the lowest-ranked candidate is dropped, and that candidate’s second-preference votes are assigned   to the remaining candidates. This extra count process continues until three candidates are elected.

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Canada’s electoral system should produce a proportional Parliament (where seats roughly match the parties’ vote share) through the direct election of local representatives in multi-member electoral districts.

Mixed Electoral Systems

Mixed electoral systems combine elements of a plurality or majority system with proportional representation.

  • Example – Mixed Member Proportional (MMP): Voters in an electoral district cast two votes: one to directly elect an individual member to serve as their representative, and a second for a party or parties to fill seats in the legislature allocated according to the proportion of the vote share they receive. Each party’s seat count is proportional to the share of votes it received in the election. Seats are held by a combination of directly elected MPs and candidates from parties' lists.

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Voters should cast two votes on their ballot: one to directly elect a member to serve as their representative, and a second for a party or parties to fill seats in the House of Commons based on the vote share they receive.

Seats in the House of Commons should be allocated in proportion to the percentage of votes received by each political party.

Mandatory or Compulsory Voting

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Canadians should be required to cast a ballot in a federal election. (This could include spoiling a ballot.)

Canadians should be fined or receive some other penalty for failing to cast a ballot in a federal election without acceptable justification (e.g., illness, absence).

Incentives should be put in place to encourage Canadians to cast a ballot in a federal election.

Online Voting

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Canadians should be able to vote online in a federal election.

There is a public good or value associated with voting in person.

I am concerned about the security and reliability of online voting.

Online voting should only be considered as an alternative for people unable to vote in person on election day.

Moving Forward on Electoral System Reform

  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Any plans for a future Canadian electoral system should be determined by a majority of members of Parliament.

Any plans for a future Canadian electoral system should require broad public support, in addition to parliamentary approval.
  • Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

On the scale from 1 to 5, a rating of 5 means that you strongly agree.

 

Disagree                         Agree

  

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Not Sure

Broad public support should be gauged through...

in-person and online consultation with Canadians representative of Canadian society (demographically and geographically).

Broad public support should be gauged through...

the creation of a citizens’ assembly. (A citizens’ assembly is a body formed from a crosssection of the public, randomly selected and representative of Canadian society [demographically and geographically], to study the options available on an issue or issues of national importance.)

Broad public support should be gauged through...

a direct vote by Canadians on an option or various options for a future Canadian electoral system (through a plebiscite or referendum).

Other (Optional) - Max. 1,000 characters

Additional Comments

  • If you have any additional comments, please share them below.

(Max. 1,000 characters)

Submit

In order to complete the consultation and to submit your responses, please click on the 'Submit' button below. Once the questionnaire has been submitted, you will not be able to go back to change your answers.
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