Can you pass ranked choice or proportional representation through the provinces? Do you have ballot referendums, where citizens get a number of voters to sign and force the issue on the ballot?
No ballot referendums, but we could in theory push citizen initiative petitions. Thus far though, none have those have passed because most Canadians don’t feel strongly enough to go through the very protracted process that electoral reform requires.
It’s supposed to be hard to change so we’re not switching systems every other election. It’s not technically impossible, but the combination of systemic friction and social inertia means you have to have a lot of people, feel very strongly about it, and make a lot of sacrifices of time and money, for a very long time to actually make it happen.
Can you pass ranked choice or proportional representation through the provinces? Do you have ballot referendums, where citizens get a number of voters to sign and force the issue on the ballot?
No ballot referendums, but we could in theory push citizen initiative petitions. Thus far though, none have those have passed because most Canadians don’t feel strongly enough to go through the very protracted process that electoral reform requires.
It’s supposed to be hard to change so we’re not switching systems every other election. It’s not technically impossible, but the combination of systemic friction and social inertia means you have to have a lot of people, feel very strongly about it, and make a lot of sacrifices of time and money, for a very long time to actually make it happen.