Voting is now over for the Ontario Liberal leadership race. Thousands of party members across the province used ranked ballots to choose their next leader. And the winner will be announced in two days!
We asked the four candidates a series of questions about democratic reform - and we're excited to share their answers with you!

The Liberal Democrats in the UK have been advocating for a lower voting age since 2001. Now it looks like the Labour Party will also endorse this policy, making the change much more likely to happen.

"School leavers could get increasingly political under possible plans drawn up by Labour to pledge to reduce the voting age to 16."

For those living in Ontario, we hope you can join us in Orillia from Sept 27th to 29th for this regional conference about voting reform!

Speakers include Elizabeth May, Joyce Murray and Alexandrine Latendresse.

Registration costs: Full weekend: $375. Friday & Saturday only: $200. Saturday only: $100

A recent study by the UK’s Electoral Reform Society (ERS) shows that some votes are worth 22 times others, because of first-past-the-post (FPTP).

A Penny For Your Vote? explores the cash value of Britain’s vote based on geographic region. Under FPTP, the only votes worth pursuing are swing voters in swing ridings, so that’s where campaign finances and attention are concentrated.

One of the strongest advocates for proportional representation in Canada, is BC's premier Christy Clark. In 2009, when she was a radio host, she delivered one of the most eloquent endorsements of PR that we've ever seen in this country.

Take a few minutes, and watch it for yourself:

Craig Scott is the MP for Toronto-Danforth and the Official Opposition Critic for Democratic and Parliamentary Reform. Starting this month, Craig and his team will be travelling across the country on an Electoral Reform Tour to consult with Canadians. In a salon-style setting, you'll have your chance to chat with Craig and other Canadians about your thoughts on electoral reform.

A strong proponent of government accountability and electoral reform, NDP MP Bruce Hyer has come out strongly in favour of proportional representation in the lead up to Democracy Week.

Last weekend, Germany held a general election using Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) representation. Chancellor Angela Merkel won a historic third term in office, but although she won almost 42% of the popular vote, she needs to find a coalition partner to form government. Whoa! – hold on a second. Even though Merkel has almost 42% of the vote, she still needs to find a coalition partner?

According to the CBC, Canada's Chief Electoral Officer is encouraging a national discussion about possible voting reforms including proportional representation and a lower voting age.

On PR:

"We've seen turnout decline. We've seen political strategies targeting certain groups of voters. And maybe if they had to reach out to all voters equally, that may change the nature of campaign"

Naoto Kan was Prime Minister of Japan from June 2010 to September 2011. Though his time in the top job was just over a year, he has spent much of his adult life in the political arena, both in government, and as an activist.

In a recent interview with the Japan Times, the former PM reflects on his long career, including his anti-nuclear stance, and the way the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown was handled. But readers of this blog will likely be most interested to learn of his recollections of his years as an electoral reformer.

In today's Guelph Mercury, Professor Ralph C. Martin proposes a "mixed member proportional" model for our national government. He walks through the mechanics and the merits of the system.

His model is similar to the system proposed by the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform, although he's added an improvement, with regional representation guaranteed through localised party lists.

Last Thursday night, Liberal MP Frank Valeriote hosted a discussion on voting reform in Guelph with MP Stéphane Dion, former leader of the Liberal Party, and Professor Brian Tanguay, of Laurier University. While all participants agreed about the benefits of proportional representation (PR), there is still considerable debate as to which specific voting system Canada should adopt.

“Disenfranchised, disillusioned, despondent” that’s Russell Brand in his interview with Jeremy Paxman that went viral last week. He’s describing a population grappling with a global and national political structure that he describes as destroying the planet, creating massive economic disparity and ignoring the needs of the people.

We won’t argue with Russell Brand’s diagnosis. We agree that “genuine changes and genuine alternatives” are needed.

Drug, alcohol, and sex allegations continue to rock Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, with mounting calls for him to resign, and Toronto City Council going so far as to hold a vote, overwhelmingly asking Mr. Ford to step down. Yet unlike cities in the United States, Ontario city councils and municipal voters do not have the power to ask politicians to resign - the Toronto City Council vote was purely symbolic. In fact, the only way Rob Ford or any other mayor can be removed from office is if he is charged and arrested, breaks conflict-of-interest rules or the provincial government steps in and removes him.

For those who have been advocating for voting reform in Canada for many years, it's exciting to see Liberal Leader publicly saying that he wants to get rid of our existing "First Past the Post" system.

We're proud to be a co-sponsor of this great event happening in Toronto, on Thursday November 28th:

"It's About Time!! Action on Climate Change through Electoral Reform"

Featuring Craig Scott, Elizabeth May & Stéphane Dion!

Doors open at 6:45pm; Event starts at 7pm sharp

Ralph Thornton Community Centre, 2nd Floor Auditorium, 765 Queen St. E

The dChongMichaelD_CPC.jpgiscussion around electoral reform in Canada takes many forms; most recently, it’s been introduced in the form of a private member’s bill from Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong.