A group dedicated to preventing a Harper-led majority in parliament and promoting electoral reform.
OUR NEW PLANS
During the last election campaign nearly 15 000 of us have shown support for the concept of vote swapping - not necessarily because it's what we want to do, but because it's what we have to do under the current electoral system. If you're sick of feeling like your vote is wasted, if it boggles your mind that the Tories could come close to a majority with only 36 or 37% of the actual vote, and if you want to avoid going to a two-party system like they have in the US, it's fundamentally necessary to demand electoral reform.
This group will continue activities towards this end and you can check back with us shortly to find out the best way to help pressure for electoral change. We're currently building a website, launching a nation-wide petition, and planning multiple press releases. As always, we will need everyone's assistance so please get involved!
GET INVOLVED! WE NEED YOU!
TO SIGN OUR PETITION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
http://electoralreformcanada.ca
If you want to get invovled in our plan to ask for an electoral reform, please send us an email at this address and we will get back to you shortly:
info@electoralreformcanada.ca
and join our new facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=32188247605
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MEDIA
Please direct all inquiries directly to Mat, the creator/administrator.
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Q & A
1. Why couldn’t you find a swap for me?
If you received a message saying that we could not find a swap for you, that may be due to a number of reasons. Firstly, we are only concentrating on about one third of all ridings – if you live in a non-key riding, we may not have been able to find a swap with someone in a key riding on your behalf. Secondly, we are obviously limited by the number of people that register for the group and their party preferences, i.e. if Green supporters outnumber Liberal supporters three to one, not everyone is going to get a match.
We attempted to contact everyone that registered to vote swap, but we were unable to reach some users that had manually submitted their data - this was due either to their privacy settings or the fact that facebook limits the number of messages that users can send in a day. We ensured that everyone in key ridings got their messages first, but unfortunately facebook regulations prevented us from getting to everyone before the election. Our apologies for that!
2. The party I support seems strongest in my riding, why are you suggesting I swap my vote?
Firstly, we did not arrange any swaps for ridings that looked remotely close. Some ridings, however, are almost certain to go a particular way (i.e. Liberals will win Westmount, Jack Layton will win Toronto Danforth, Gilles Duceppe will win Laurier St. Marie) so we may suggest that you help out the party you prefer in another riding by swapping your vote. For example, one less NDP vote in Toronto Danforth will not change much since it’ll be a landslide for Jack Layton, but seeing that one vote count in Edmonton Strathcona could make all the difference between who takes that riding.
3. Why would someone want to swap with me when their party has no chance in my particular riding? For example, why would a Green supporter want me to vote Green in Westmount, when it’s obvious the Liberals will win?
Firstly, parties receive financial support dependent on the number of votes they get – this money allows them to save for future campaigns, hire staff, etc…by voting for your swapmate’s party, you are helping to keep Canada’s multiparty system strong. Secondly, many people feel strongly about the party they support, but REALLY don’t want to see the Tories elected to a majority. They’ll happily vote ABC, as long as their conscience is clear (since their vote is being cast elsewhere). Lastly, this is a collective effort on the part of all of us who don’t want to see a Harper majority – we’re all contributing to the ABC cause together and must be willing to work as a team. Even if your vote swap doesn’t directly help the party you support, you can be sure that a supporter of a different party is in the same position and is helping your party out elsewhere.
4. Will you do vote swapping again the future?
Yes! Until Canada’s electoral system changes to something that sees a more equal relationship between the number of votes cast for a party, and that party’s share of seats in parliament, it will be necessary to turn to alternative voting strategies. We do not want a two-party system like they have in the US, where voters are really starved for choice – Canada’s multiparty system must survive. However, if we can pressure the government for change to something like proportional representation, preferential balloting, or run offs in the case of no clear majority winner, vote swapping will no longer be necessary. Write your local MP and vote for electoral reform when given the chance. Until then stay tuned to our group.
5. What are the primary goals of this group?
A) Allow third parties to flourish and maintain Canada's multi-party system.
B) Help stop a Harper Majority! If the Tories win big, we all lose equally.
C) Raise awareness about the need for electoral reform - people should not have to go to such lengths to ensure that their vote is not 'wasted.' No party should be elected to a majority with less than 50% of the popular vote.
6. Is there any political party involved behind this movement?
Absolutely not. This group is composed of citizens who actively participate in our democracy. Our members are drawn from supporters of each major non-Tory political party and we have different views on a variety of topics, but we are all bound and committed to the goals of this group first and foremost.
7. Is vote swapping legal?
Yes. It was declared legal by Elections Canada on September 17th 2008.
8) I signed up for the group, why didn't you send me a message?
When our group grew beyond 5000 members, facebook regulations meant that we were no longer to send out mass messages to the group. For those who submitted their data to me directly, rather than via the facebook application found in the link above, we have been trying to contact you all individually. Some people's privacy settings, however, mean that we cannot send you unsolicited messages. Lastly, facebook limits the number of messages that any user can send out in a given day - if you've not received a message, that may be the reason. None of this is crucial, however - simply add the facebook application at the top of the page and you can see the results of your swap.
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HOW DOES VOTE SWAPPING WORK?
Visual examples:
Example 1: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4295244&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=25808609138&aid=-1&id=686275170&oid=25808609138
Example 2:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4295245&op=1&o=all&view=all&subj=25808609138&aid=-1&oid=25808609138&id=686275170
Example 3:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4295246&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=25808609138&aid=-1&id=686275170&oid=25808609138
Written examples:
Let's pretend I'm an NDP supporter in the riding of Winnipeg South. Seeing as the Tories only managed to beat the Liberals by less than 150 votes in the 2006 election, the Liberals almost surely have the best chance of winning. I use the "anti-Harper Vote Swap" facebook application to indicate that I'm an NDP supporter who is willing to vote for anyone but the Conservatives. Even if you don't know the latest polling data in your riding, we can help.
We will then match you up with another member of the group (in this example, a Liberal in a strong NDP riding who is willing to swap). Assuming we find you a match, you'll receive a message a few days before the election letting you know that your vote can be swapped.
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