YES Cambridge

Strategic voting is anti-democratic. People deserve to vote FOR somebody, not just the lesser of two evils since we’re scared of other options. If people’s vote...s were truly represented, the political system would look a whole lot different. Parties shouldn’t be entitled to votes based on fear mongering. See more

Brought to you by Proportional Representation among other things...

Please sign this official government petition for electoral reform. Proportional Representation forces politicians to be more accountable to people, and therefo...re results in better environmental policies. "economists Per Frederiksson and Daniel Millimet (2004) found that countries with proportional systems set tougher environmental policies. They score higher on the Yale Environmental Performance Index, they were faster to ratify the Kyoto protocol and their share of world greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions had declined." See this article here, for more info: https://www.policynote.ca/pro-rep-leads-to-better-public-p/

The CBC recently published an analysis of the 60 ridings that are likely to determine the outcome of the 2019 election. Guelph, Cambridge, South Kitchener and Milton-- which many of you belong to-- are included in that list. The CBC's analysis includes the percentage of the vote each party/ candidate received in the 2015 election. If you choose to vote strategically (because first-past-the-post is a ridiculous system for running election) you may find this information helpful. Regardless of how you vote, you might find it interesting.

Cambridge made history - again - last night, with Council voting unanimously in favour of Pam Wolf's motion, asking City staff to explore options for ranked ballots in 2022!! Thank you mayor Kathryn McGarry + the rest of Council! Details here:

Five months ago, Cambridge residents made history by voting in favour of switching to ranked ballots: a small and simple change to make our local elections more fair, diverse and friendly! Tonight, Councillor Pam Wolf is bringing forward a motion that asks City Council to take the next step and respect the democratic results of the referendum! If you support this move, please take a moment to send an e-mail to the mayor and to your Councillor! MAYOR: [email protected] ... Find your Councillor here: https://online.cambridge.ca/waterservice/CouncillorInfo.aspx Cambridge City Council has two choices tonight: They can show the rest of Ontario that we're leaders, that we're innovative and that we respect our own voters. Or... we can show that we're stuck in the past, afraid of change.

Sad to see this news coming out of BC. Big hugs to everyone out there who worked so hard on the YES campaign! Keith, David, Dayla, Antony, Shoni..... A few le...ssons I think we've learned about referendums: 1) It’s probably better for the SOURCE of the ballot question to be citizens themselves, rather than from politicians. Our best result in BC so far has been the 2005 vote, when the YES side won 58% - the only time that a BC referendum was preceded by a citizen-driven process to design the new voting system and the ballot question. When politicians seem to be driving a referendum process (whether the vote is about electoral systems or transit funding), voters are skeptical. Hard to blame them... 2) The scare tactics used by the NO campaigns only work if the public is grossly uninformed about voting systems - which they are. Working to expand the high school civics curriculum, spending money on marketing campaigns (BEFORE the next referendum), recruiting celebrity endorsements, and sending ambassadors to speak to community groups, service clubs, political riding associations, knitting groups, places of worship, youth groups, etc. This is how we fight misinformation. It takes years to do this, and must precede any future referendum. 3) We need to reclaim all the words that our opponents are using. "Stability" and "simplicity" are not strengths of First Past the Post. They are strengths of PR. We need to put those two words at the forefront of our message. 4) It's easier to win a municipal campaign than a provincial one. We know that from the two recent victories of the YES Cambridge and YES Kingston campaigns. I'd love to see more effort/resources invested in municipal reform across the country, especially in BC which is ripe for municipal PR (due to their rare combination of municipal parties and at-large districts). Check out 123 Vancouver for more on that. If we can get people USED to using other systems, then the scare tactics won't work, and we'll win provincial referendums easily. 5) We need to expand the movement beyond New Democrats and Greens. As long as people associate PR with "the left", we're toast. There is nothing left-wing about PR. In fact, the entire premise of proportionality is based on free-market values such as encouraging competition and disruption in the marketplace to drive innovation, and rewarding that innovation with deserved market share. This referendum, introduced by an NDP/Green coalition likely further re-enforced the left-wing stereotype of the movement. This particular problem requires a LOT of outreach and work. 6) We shouldn't jump at every referendum opportunity we get. There's no need to rush. The Greens hold the balance of power in BC, and were able to demand this referendum in exchange for supporting the NDP government. But in hindsight, BC might have been better off if the Greens had negotiated municipal PR-enabling legislation, like Ontario got three years ago, rather than a third referendum. Or if they'd negotiated another citizen's assembly (it's been 15 years since the first one). Or perhaps a slower, more deliberative referendum. If we continue to act hurried, I think we'll continue to lose - at least in the short term. All that said, here are some words of consolation to BC advocates: All the work you invested this year will pay off. You've raised awareness, built new networks of volunteers and recruited new leaders. Change is coming. <3

"Cambridge has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a pioneer of democratic reform. Using ranked ballots is a small and simple change that will make our elections more fair and friendly. Wise words from Cambridge community leader Randy Saad!