Politicians from dozens of communities across Ontario are endorsing a campaign that is pushing for changes to the province’s Municipal Elections Act.
In an attempt to generate more interest and participation in elections, the Local Choice campaign is urging provincial lawmakers to amend the legislation to give municipalities the authority to customize their local elections, if they choose to do so.
Local Choice isn’t advocating for any specific measures of reform, but the group is citing runoff voting, municipal parties, online voting, weekend voting and neighbourhood borough councils as examples of potential changes.
A revamped Municipal Elections Act would allow municipalities to choose the system that best fits the needs of their community, said Charles Tilden, a project co-ordinator for Local Choice.
“What we’re really advocating here is choice,” Tilden told CP24.com. “We want to help people feel invested in the process and make them feel that their vote actually makes a difference.”
By lifting restrictions, Tilden said, the goal is to increase the involvement of women and visible minorities, boost voter turnout, and develop diverse and fair elections.
Tilden said municipalities across North America are using voting systems or specific options that should be available to municipalities in Ontario.
He pointed to San Francisco and Minneapolis, which use ranked choice voting systems, where voters rank candidates in order of preference instead of choosing a single candidate.
Some cities are allowed to hold elections on weekends, when people have more free time to cast a ballot, Tilden said.
Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York) is one of the Toronto city council members to support the Local Choice effort.
McMahon said she would like Toronto to adopt a ranked choice voting system.
“Elected officials would be supported by more of the community and would better represent the community,” McMahon told CP24.com. “Right now, a person with a low percentage can get in, and voters get upset because they feel that’s not who they chose.”
McMahon said she is a supporter of weekend voting and term limits for the city’s mayor and councillors.
Tilden said Local Choice is a project of Better Ballots and is not affiliated with any political party.
The project receives funding from the Maytree Foundation, a private charitable foundation, Tilden said.
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