Results of Ontario Referendum on Electoral Reform
Dateline: 09/15/07
Referendum on Electoral Reform
On October 10, 2007 a referendum is being held in Ontario to ask Ontario voters which type of electoral system should be used in the future to elect members to the Ontario Legislative Assembly. The referendum is being held in conjunction with the Ontario provincial election.
When Ontario voters go to their polling station on October 10, they will be given two ballots. The first ballot will be used to elect a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly. The second ballot will be used to vote in the referendum.
The referendum ballot will ask voters to choose either the existing electoral system - first past the post - or an alternative electoral system proposed by the Ontario Citizens' Assembly - a mixed member proportional system.
Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform
In September 2006, the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform, made up of 103 randomly chosen Ontarians, one from each electoral district in the province, was brought together to examine the current electoral system in Ontario as well as other electoral systems, and to recommend whether Ontario should adopt a new electoral system.
After eight months, the Citizens' Assembly Report recommended that Ontario adopt a Mixed Member Proportional system, designed specifically for Ontario.
First Past the Post Electoral System
The electoral system used in provincial elections in Ontario is called first past the post. There are currently 107 electoral districts in Ontario. Voters vote for a candidate in their electoral district. The candidate with the most number of votes in an electoral district wins a seat in the legislative assembly. The leader of the party which wins the highest number or seats, rather than the party with the highest percentage of the overall vote, is usually asked to form the government.
Mixed Member Proportional System for Ontario
The mixed member proportional system being proposed for Ontario combines a first past the post electoral system with a proportional representation electoral system.
In the mixed member proportional system being proposed, 90 new and larger electoral districts would be created to replace the existing 107 electoral districts in Ontario. An MPP would be elected from each electoral district. An additional 39 MPPs would be selected from lists of candidates prepared in advance by the political parties. The number of list MPPs elected would be based on their party's popular vote.
In an election, there would be a two-part ballot. Voters would vote for a local candidate in the electoral district and also for a political party. The votes for local candidates would elect local MPPs in each electoral district. The votes for parties would determine the number of list MPPs each party would get. If a party's percentage of the vote indicates it should have more MPPs than it won in electoral districts, then members would be chosen, in order, from the party list to make up the difference. A party would have to receive more than three percent of the party votes to have list MPPs elected. The end result would have the share of seats in the legislative assembly for each party roughly equal to the share of the total votes received for the party.
Voting in the Ontario Referendum on Electoral Reform
Voting in the Ontario referendum on electoral reform takes place at the same time and place as the Ontario provincial election on October 10, 2007. To vote in the referendum, you must be eligible to vote in the Ontario provincial election and you must be registered to vote.
You do not have to vote in the provincial election to vote in the referendum on electoral reform. Eligible voters can choose to vote in either the referendum or the election, or in both.
How the Ontario Referendum on Electoral Reform Will Be Decided
The Electoral System Referendum Act, 2007 sets two thresholds for the referendum question to be decided:
- 60 percent of all votes cast in the province, and
- a simple majority of more than 50 percent of votes cast in at least 64 provincial electoral districts (the equivalent of 60 percent or more of provincial electoral districts).
