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Submission CUNNINGHAM-0200 (Online)

Submission By D A Cunningham
AddressVanocuver, BC,
Organization
Date20040416
CategoryElectoral system change
Abstract
Voters will elect one, two or three representatives from a district based on the percentage of the votes cast.  Legislation is passed only if the members supporting it represent a majority of electors in the province. [2 pages]

Submission Content
A Proposal for Electoral Reform

Part I

 • Combine adjacent ridings into pairs so as to reduce the number of districts toapproximately forty.

 • Political parties will offer candidates as in the existing system but, each (combined) district will elect one, two or three representatives based on the percentage of the votes cast.  For example:

District A  (Total votes 50,000), 3 Seats

Poll results 
Party X     36% 18,000 votes
Party Y     29% 14,500 votes
Party Z     27% 13,500votes
Others        8%

District B (Total votes 50,000), 2 seats

Poll results
Party X     60%  30,000 votes
Party Y     23%  11,500votes
Party Z     12%    6,000 votes
Others        5%

District C (Total votes 50,000), 2 seats

Poll results       
Party X     30 % 15,000 votes
Party Y     51%  25,500 votes
Party Z     18%    9,000 votes
Others        1%

Criteria:

 • If Party X collects more than 80% of the votes, that district will have 1 seat in the legislature.

 • If 2 candidates garner a combined total of over 80% then that district will have 2 seats in the legislature

 • If 3 candidates’ votes are required to reach the 80% mark then that district will be represented by 3 members

 

Part 11

Voting by Members on bills presented in the legislature

For example, in District A:

•  Party X will be able to cast 18,000 votes on the bill as he/she wishes
•  Party Y will be able to cast 14,500 votes for or against.
•  Party Z will be able to cast 13,500 votes as he/she wishes

A bill will be successful if the combined positive votes of 40 districts exceeds the combined votes of the opposition's, so that. for example:

Total voters             2,000.000
Total by Party X       1,000,001
Total opposed            999,999

The ‘government’ will be acutely aware that any bill that is proposed will have to be palatable enough to opposition members to garner their support (unless the government has a clear majority of votes).

Party X may have the most sitting members but not necessarily the most votes.

Alternative Choices

1. Representatives (elected members) will be free to cast all (or a portion) of their allotment for or against a bill based on their degree of agreement with the bill, and the perceived wishes of their constituents.

2. With modern electronic devices members would (if desired) be able to cast the allotment in secret; and total votes would not be revealed until all votes were cast (electronically).  This would enable ‘government members’ to protest their leaders proposals in secret.

3. The Representative government proposed will encourage more citizen participation as more citizens will have power.

4. To limit the cost of running the legislature members could be compensated based on the votes they got during the election (with a base amount for each). (i.e. $20, 000 base plus a dollar or two or three for each voter.)

[Entered online from a scanned document]

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