AlolanVulpix

Platform Wins and Fails | Curse of Politics.

Canadians have the right to run in an election for Parliament, it's not an inconvenience, as Jordan Leichnitz likes to present it as.

This isn't about "laziness" at all - it's about structural barriers to voting that disproportionately affect certain demographics.

Research consistently shows that convenience voting methods like mail ballots and early voting help increase participation among:

• People working multiple jobs or irregular hours
• Those with caregiving responsibilities
• People with mobility issues or disabilities
• Residents in areas with fewer polling stations (often in lower-income communities)
• Younger voters with less established voting habits

These demographics often (but not always) lean left, but that's correlation, not causation. The key point is that when we remove structural barriers to voting, participation tends to increase across diverse groups.

What's especially interesting is that under proportional representation, voter turnout is consistently higher across all demographics. When people know their vote will actually help elect someone who represents their values, they're more motivated to participate, regardless of party preference.

The real issue isn't about left vs. right, but ensuring our democratic systems provide equal accessibility for all eligible voters while maintaining security and integrity. With PR electoral systems, these concerns get addressed together - higher participation AND every vote counting toward representation.

I agree with your assessment. The transparency and verifiability of paper ballots is a fundamental strength of our current system that electronic voting can't easily replicate.

The trust issue you've highlighted is crucial. Paper ballots create a physical audit trail that can be manually recounted by ordinary citizens. With electronic systems, we'd need to trust not just the code (which most citizens can't verify), but also the entire chain of custody of both hardware and software. As you noted, even with sophisticated cryptographic solutions, the public trust element is essential for democratic legitimacy.

There are also serious security concerns. Electronic systems create "single points of failure" that paper ballots distributed across thousands of polling stations don't have. Computer scientists and security experts have consistently warned about these vulnerabilities. See:

• Why Electronic Voting is a BAD Idea - Computerphile
• Why Electronic Voting Is Still A Bad Idea

While I'm passionate about modernizing our democracy, I believe the focus should be on fixing the mathematical problem at the core of our electoral system - where millions of valid votes simply don't count. Electronic voting might change how we collect votes but doesn't address this fundamental democratic deficit.

Paper ballots with proportional representation would give us both the security benefits you've described and ensure every vote counts toward representation. That seems like the right sequence of priorities for strengthening our democracy.

Great question! Fair Vote Canada (FVC) does have a broader mandate than just PR, though proportional representation remains their primary focus.

According to FVC's 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, they specifically mention "lowering the voting age to 16" as one of the democratic reforms they strategically amplify messaging around. So yes, they do advocate for this!

Their Vision, Mission and Values statement also notes that while PR is "the most fundamental and urgent change needed," they support a range of "democratic improvements which flow from our core values."

On electronic/internet voting, FVC doesn't seem to have an explicit position. This makes sense from a priorities perspective - while modernizing voting methods might improve convenience, it doesn't address the fundamental democratic deficit where millions of perfectly valid votes elect nobody at all.

Electronic voting also raises complex security and verification challenges. Any electronic system would need to uphold essential democratic principles including accessibility, voter anonymity, and verifiability. See:

• Why Electronic Voting is a BAD Idea - Computerphile
• Why Electronic Voting Is Still A Bad Idea

Personally, I believe PR is the only viable long-term solution for ensuring every vote counts. Changing how we collect votes (electronic vs. paper) doesn't address the mathematical problem of winner-take-all systems discarding approximately 50% of ballots. But lowering the voting age to 16 would meaningfully expand democratic participation.

If you're interested in technology and electoral reform, you might consider getting involved with the proportional representation movement directly (particularly the List of social media accounts for Canadian Democracy) - we're always looking for volunteers with diverse interests and skills!

Conservative logic demands perfection from all other parties except their own, in which case, anything goes.

Yes, FPTP forces strategic voting - but we don't have to accept this broken system! Our electoral system has changed before and can change again.

Every time we resign ourselves to strategic voting, we perpetuate the very system that forces us to vote strategically. It's a vicious cycle that only proportional representation can break.

Want a democracy where your vote actually counts? Join us: simple things you can do to grow the proportional representation movement.

I get it - strategic voting feels necessary under our current system. But this cycle of "holding our noses" every election is exactly what FPTP is designed to create.

With proportional representation, you could vote for who you actually believe in without fear of "wasting" your vote. Every vote would count toward representation - no more impossible choices.

If you're tired of this broken cycle, check out ways to grow the proportional representation movement so we can build a democracy where strategic voting becomes obsolete.

That's certainly a creative thought! While I appreciate the outside-the-box thinking, I think such an approach might actually undermine the fundamental principles that electoral reform advocates are fighting for.

The current ballot protest is designed to highlight how our FPTP system fails to provide meaningful representation. Creating deliberate confusion with identical names shifts from highlighting systemic problems to potentially interfering with voters' ability to express their actual preferences.

The goal of proportional representation isn't to break the current system through loopholes, but to build a better one where every vote genuinely counts. Credibility matters in this movement - we need to demonstrate that we're advocating for a more fair and functional democracy, not just finding creative ways to obstruct the current one.

That said, I do appreciate the energy behind finding ways to make electoral reform impossible to ignore! If you're looking for effective ways to advance this cause, check out Simple things you can do right now to grow the proportional representation movement. There are many constructive actions that can help us build momentum toward real change.

I completely agree with your assessment. This ballot protest is indeed a powerful yet peaceful way to highlight the fundamental flaws in our electoral system.

Your preference for proportional representation over ranked ballots is well-founded. While ranked ballots (IRV) might seem like an improvement, they're still a winner-take-all system that wastes votes. Under Single Transferable Vote (STV), you can actually have both ranked ballots AND proportional representation!

If you're looking to help advance the PR movement, check out: Simple things you can do right now, to grow the proportional representation movement

You're absolutely right - electoral reform truly is a gift to future generations. What we're seeing with the Longest Ballot Committee is just one creative expression of the deep frustration many Canadians feel with our current system.

The beauty of proportional representation is that it solves a fundamental democratic problem: in our current system, millions of perfectly valid ballots have zero effect on election outcomes. In the 2022 Ontario election alone, about 2.5 million votes (54% of those cast) elected nobody at all.

Democracy requires that every vote counts and affects outcomes. Anything less undermines the legitimacy of our government.

If you'd like to help grow the PR movement beyond ballot protests, check out this link: Simple things you can do right now, to grow the proportional representation movement - so we never have to vote for the lesser of evils, split the vote, or vote strategically again.

Yeah, that's frustrating. Login requirements are a barrier to participation and raise privacy concerns.

Still, the CBC giving electoral reform national attention is an opportunity we can't waste. If you're comfortable using Google, it might be worth the tradeoff just to show the CBC that proportional representation matters to Canadians.

Every chance to highlight how our current system discards millions of votes helps build momentum for PR.

That's awesome! These grassroots efforts are exactly how we'll build enough public pressure to finally get proportional representation. When everyday Canadians step up like this, it shows politicians this isn't just a niche issue - it's about the fundamental democratic right to have our votes actually count. Thank you for helping move us closer to a democracy where every vote matters!