Now your vote counts. Now it doesn’t.
A minority of voters elected a majority government in Nova Scotia yesterday exposing the basic flaw in the voting system, says Fair Vote Canada.
Unofficial results show the Liberals received 45 per cent of the vote but 65 per cent of the seats. The NDP slightly edged out the PCs in the popular vote (27 per cent versus 26 per cent respectively), the NDP received four fewer seats than the PCs.
All three major parties in Nova Scotia have benefited from the current first-past-the-post voting system, which often turns a minority of votes into a majority of seats for one party.
“Phony majority governments are a common outcome of the current voting system,” says Doug Bailie, president of Fair Vote Canada. “Political leaders may be okay with that. But voters are wondering why their votes count in some elections but not others.”
Canada is among a handful of countries still using the antiquated First-Past-The-Post system. Most democracies use voting systems based on the principle of proportional representation, which ensures each party’s share of the seats reflects its share of the popular vote. As a result, almost every vote cast helps elect a candidate and governments represent a majority of voters.
“Nova Scotia is unique among Canadian provinces for having three political parties that have all had a turn in government and regularly receive a significant share of the popular vote,” says Bailie. “The current voting system is not designed for that type of competitive, multi-party system. We are often left with a winner-take-all outcome that does not reflect the will of voters”
Steve Caines from Fair Vote Nova Scotia agrees, “Adopting proportional representation for provincial elections would treat everyone’s vote the same. It’s fair and it’s the best way to renew democracy in Nova Scotia.”
Fair Vote Canada (FVC) is a grassroots, multi-partisan citizens’ campaign for voting system reform. FVC promotes the introduction of an element of proportional representation in elections at all levels of government and in civil society.
Doug Bailie, president
Fair Vote Canada
Stephen Caines
Fair Vote Nova Scotia