The people behind Better Ballots want Toronto residents to take a closer look at how they elect their representatives.
The organization Better Ballots is looking to create a discussion about the options for voting reform in Toronto. The members of the working group aren't trying to push one option over another, they just want people to think about the possibility of doing things differently. "There's many different ways to run an election, especially municipally," said Rob Newman, the spokesperson and a member of the working group. Municipal elections in Toronto draw an average of 40 per cent voter turnout and feature races where two-, three- or five-term incumbents repeatedly win and the make up of council doesn't represent the city's population in terms of gender and diversity. Better Ballots wants to discuss these issues at four town hall forums it is holding across the city. The first took place in North York Tuesday, April 13 and the next takes place at the Scarborough Civic Centre on Tuesday, April 20. To help get the discussion started, the group has compiled a list of 14 options that could make Toronto's elections more inclusive, diverse and fair. The list presents each proposal, for example, term limits, and then the possible benefits and concerns are touched on, and lastly the group lists jurisdictions where that technique is used. Newman said the group tried to find cities similar to Toronto to help make the case it could work here; for example both New York City and Los Angeles use term limits."This isn't just some European thing," he said.Some of the other proposals include extending the vote to permanent residents, lowering the voting age and using ranked ballots. "It's by no means an exhaustive list," Newman said, adding people are invited to ask questions about ideas not included on the list.The goal is to get someone thinking who's never before thought about changing the way we vote and opening up someone's mind who is passionate about a particular proposal."Voting is a strange thing. People think there's only one way," Newman said. "There are other ways of doing this."The town hall meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will start with an overview of who Better Ballots is and the 14 options, then the floor will be opened to questions."We really just hope that people come out and see that they do things these ways in other jurisdictions," Newman said.Visit www.betterballots.to for more information.