GuelphVotes

Low voter turnout spurs call for electoral reform

Posted by Phil Andrews

This release just in from Democracy Watch:

Ontarians should not be surprised at record low voter turnout in provincial election

Voting system, failure of Elections Ontario to inform voters of right to decline their ballot, too early fixed election date, and lack of key promises for more democratic elections and government, are likely reasons for decline


Friday, October 7, 2011

OTTAWA - Today, Democracy Watch called for democratic changes to Ontario's political system in response to the clear crisis of record low voter turnout in the provincial election.  Initial results show that the Ontario Liberals have won 53 of 107 seats with the support of only 18.4% of eligible voters.

“With just under half of eligible voters casting ballots yesterday, the lowest in Ontario’s history, alarm bells should be going off and questions raised about the legitimacy of the provincial government,”
said Tyler Sommers, Coordinator for Democracy Watch.  "Voter turnout will go back up if the voting system is changed, if Elections Ontario does it job properly and informs Ontarians of their right to decline their ballot, if the fixed election date is pushed back to late October, and if the parties make promises to end undemocratic elections and government."

In addition to Elections Ontario properly educating voters about their right to decline the ballot (and disclosing declined ballot totals in election results), and making the fixed-election date later, the most important changes the Ontario parties can make to increase voter turnout are as follows:
* pass an honesty-in-politics law that gives voters an easy, low-cost way to file complaints to the Integrity Commissioner, and gives the Commissioner the power to penalize misleaders (and requires MPPs who switch parties in-between elections to resign and run in a by-election);
* change the voting system so that the percentage of MPPs each party receives more closely matches the popular vote percentages.

These two changes would give voters a reason to vote because they would know that voting for a specific party would mean a guaranteed result in terms of percentage of MPPs elected and promises kept.

In addition, if the parties strengthened provincial ethics, political finance, lobbying, open government, and whistleblower protection laws, voters would have more reason to vote because they would be more assured of good government no matter which party won.

"More and more voters know from their experience of the past few decades of elections that they are not going to get what they vote for, and are likely to get dishonest, secretive, unethical, unrepresentative and wasteful government no matter who they vote for, and as a result no one should be surprised to see voter turnout dropping lower and lower,” said Duff Conacher, Founding Director of Democracy Watch.

Winds of change?

Posted by Phil Andrews

Wind energy opponents claim they caused the Liberals to lose their majority government.

Here's a release from Wind Concerns Ontario:

McGuinty government reduced to Minority:Green Energy Act plays Dramat role.

Dalton McGuinty’s mandate to govern Ontario has been dramatically curtailed by the grassroots opposition to his industrial wind strategy and anti-democratic Green Energy Act that has reduced his government to a minority. 

 

Wind Concerns Ontario members campaigned against and defeated a number of rural Liberal MPPs including Minister of Agriculture Carol Mitchell (Huron Bruce); Minister of Environment (lead Ministry on the Green Energy Act) John Wilkinson (Perth-Wellington) and Minister of Education Leona Dombrowsky (Prince Edward Hastings). 

 

Wind Concerns Ontario members were also active in campaigns to defeat Rick Johnston (Halibuton Kawartha Lakes Brock);  Lou Rinaldi (Northumberland Quinte West); Maria Van Bommel (Lambton Kent Middlesex); Mike Brown (Algoma Manitoulin) in addition to open Liberal ridings Chatham-Kent-Essex; Elgin-Middlesex-London; and Essex. 

 

Seventy-eight municipal councils that represent more than two and a half million Ontarians have called on the Government of Ontario to put in place a moratorium on all industrial wind development until an independent third party epidemiological health study  can determine safe setbacks from industrial turbines and local democracy is restored to planning decisions.

 

“Wind Concerns Ontario members should be proud of our efforts tonight. The Ontario Liberals have spent the last two years denying science, refusing to accept local democracy and tonight they’ve paid a price,” said John Laforet, President of Wind Concerns Ontario. “The Liberals have an opportunity to change their course during this minority parliament, act on our concerns and put the interests of people ahead of the special interests behind the industrial wind lobby that cost them their majority tonight.”

 

Wind Concerns Ontario will outline it’s plans going forward next week.

Students stick with incumbents

Liz Sandals in Guelph and Ted Arnott in Wellington-Halton Hills not only convinced voters old enough to cast ballots that they should keep their jobs, but they convinced the kids too.

The results of Student Vote, a parallel election held among students at elementary, middle and secondary schools, shows that the two local MPPs would have won at that level as well.

Future Sandals headline?

Posted by Phil Andrews

I'm getting ahead of myself.

But if Liz Sandals is made a cabinet minister. And if she's ever perceived to reverse herself on a position as a cabinet minister, a headline to be considered has got to be: "Sandals flip-flops."

I'm just saying...

John Turmel is a candidate

Posted by Phil Andrews

Former 2008 Guelph federal candidate John Turmel is a candidate in Brant.

Turmel claims to hold a record for running the most times for public office without being elected.

Hockey verses election

With the Toronto Maple Leafs' season opener happening at the same time as the election votes are being tallied, some people are having a tough time deciding what to watch.

Montreal fan Anne Cako and Leaf fan Laura Radford were surprised the game would be on during the election.

"CBC is only covering the game," Radford said. "Hockey is dominating politcs."

"I think more people watch the hockey game than vote. At least, it seems that way," Cako said. "Only in Canada."

They said people are frustrated that the CBC is choosing to show hockey over the polls, but they admitted that they too will watch the game. "I've voted. I've done my part," Radford said, adding there was nothing left to do but wait.

Cako said they will be checking updates on their phone while the game is still on.

The hockey fans were having a small election of their own, counting how many people were cheering on which team. The count so far had the Habs with a slight lead.

Polls will stay open to 9:30 p.m. in three ridings

Posted by Phil Andrews

Polls have been extended in three Ontario ridings.

They are:  Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, Toronto Centre, Trinity-Spadina and Kenora-Rainy River. Those polls will stay open until 9:30 because of interruptions in their operation earlier in the day, Alicia Fowlie, Election Ontario’s communications co-ordinator, told The National Post.

 

Guelph independent candidate concedes

Posted by Phil Andrews

Guelph independent candidate Julian Ichim has conceded defeat.

He asserted he thought the winner tonight might be the Liberals or the Progressive Conservatives.

But, he said, either party would just seek to criminalize poverty.

During the campaign, Ichim repeatedly called on the next government to return a special monthy funding of $100 to social assistance recipients for use in purchasing more nutritional foodstuffs.

Communist signs springing up

By Chris Seto

Since the writ dropped on September 7, the election signs have been popping up on lawns throughout the city.

While most signs are scattered evenly thoughout the city, the Communist party's Drew Garvie has a clump of nearly a half dozen up between College and Waterloo Avenues.

Within a few hours, candidates will finally get to see how many heads their signs have turned.

The after parties

post by Chris Seto

The Liberals' Liz Sandals will be at the Guelph Country Club later tonight when the results come in. Until then she will be watching them add up with her family at home.

The PC's Greg Schirk will also be at home awaiting the final tally, then heading to his campaign office at 71 Wyndham Street South.

James Gordon of the NDP is planning on spending the evening at Van Gogh's Ear located at 10 Wyndham Street North, at Macdonell.

You can find the Green candidate Steve Dyck at The Woolwich Arrow, or "The Wooly", after 9 p.m. That's located at 176 Woolwich Street.

No word yet on where Drew Garvie, Philip Bender or Julian Ichim will be when the polls close tonight.