Open letter to strategic voters

[phishtaper]

exactly. especially when true preference doesnt have a hope in hell of winning.

but again, most here seem to be making an implicit assumption that you either like or dislike a party/candidate/option. im assuming that you can like and dislike part of each option.

[Birdy]

exactly, especially when true preference doesn't have a hope in hell of winning.

Nor wlll they ever, if those who would support them don't.

Sucka!

[phishtaper]

meh

Edited October 12, 2008 by Guest

[Birdy]

Spoken like a true Canadian.

[Hux]

exactly, especially when true preference doesn't have a hope in hell of winning.

Nor wlll they ever, if those who would support them don't.

Sucka!

There's a big elephant in the NDP headquarters that they just cannot talk about. Every election the NDP themselves only target about 50-60 ridings across the country as winnable and leave the rest to piss in the wind, but they'll never admit it. They can't, but it is fact. They know they cannot ever win the government yet Layton is out there pretending he's Obama saying he's going to be Prime Minister. Sad. It puts politics above principle in my view.

They could agree to an entente with the Liberals in the 50ish ridings where vote splittings hands victory to Conservative candidates.

Libs wouldn't run a candidate in the 10ish ridings the NDP finishes 2nd and can beat the Tories in and the NDP doesn't run candidates in the 40ish ridings Libs place second.

But they won't as then the elephant would be exposed.

[Thorgnor]

And their funding would go through the floor you sly bastard.

I miss you, buddy.

[SaggyBalls]

It depends on whether or not someone votes for who s/he thinks has the best chance of winning, or preventing someone to win

or voting for what they really want.

Voting out of fear or displeasure rather than hope, optimism, and opportunity doesn't leave a good taste in anyone's mouth.

Don't forget to brush, folks.

[d_rawk]

- Green Party: 940,000 voters supporting the Green Party sent no one to

Parliament, setting a new record for the most votes cast for any party that

gained no parliamentary representation. By comparison, 813,000

Conservative voters in Alberta alone were able to elect 27 MPs.

- Prairie Liberals and New Democrats: In the prairie provinces, Conservatives

received roughly twice the vote of the Liberals and NDP, but took seven times

as many seats.

- Urban Conservatives: Similar to the last election, a quarter-million

Conservative voters in Toronto elected no one and neither did Conservative

voters in Montreal.

- New Democrats: The NDP attracted 1.1 million more votes than the Bloc, but

the voting system gave the Bloc 50 seats, the NDP 37.

Had the votes on October 14 been cast under a fair and proportional voting

system, Fair Vote Canada projected that the seats allocation would have been

approximately as follows:

Conservatives - 38% of the popular vote: 117 seats (not 143)

Liberals - 26% of the popular vote: 81 seats (not 76)

NDP - 18% of the popular vote: 57 seats (not 37)

Bloc - 10% of the popular vote: 28 seats (not 50)

Greens - 7% of the popular vote: 23 seats (not 0)

“With a different voting system, people would also have voted differently,†said

Larry Gordon, Executive Director of Fair Vote Canada. “There would have been no

need for strategic voting. We would likely have seen higher voter turnout. We

would have had different candidates - more women, and more diversity of all

kinds. We would have had more real choices.â€

Fair Vote Canada: electoral dysfunction, yet again (pdf)

[phishtaper]

i wonder if the reform referendum in Ontario last time would have passed had the question been worded better.

[SaggyBalls]

YES!

[d_rawk]

I'm just recycling this thread instead of creating a new one

Attention: Fair Vote supporters and friends:

Thousands will be demonstrating this weekend both for and against the proposed coalition, giving fair voting proponents an unprecedented opportunity to engage people on the urgent need for electoral reform.

Can you help? Here are two tools.

First, an article explaining the need for true majority rule and why that requires a fair voting system, particularly if Canadians desire stable and effective government, reflecting the will of voters in all regions of the country: http://www.fairvote.ca/files/op_ed_5dec2008_coalition_web.pdf

Second, a flyer to distribute at demonstrations and rallies this weekend – rallies both for and against the coalition proposal – calling on all Canadians to demand a national citizens’ assembly on electoral reform. Download the flyer and photocopy as many as possible, preferably on bright yellow paper, and cut in two.

http://www.fairvote.ca/files/FVC_flyer_dec_5_08.pdf

While Canadians may disagree on the best solution for the immediate crisis, this is an historic opportunity for all of us to demand a citizen-driven process to identify and implement the best fair voting solution.

Let’s do it!

Fair Vote Canada

Edited December 5, 2008 by Guest

[Thorgnor]

In related news...

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2008/12/05/7642016-sun.html

[d_rawk]

Oh my.