Voting Day in Ontario

Ontarians go to the polls today to elect a new Provincial government.

As well, an Ontario Referendum will determine whether the Province will opt for the major electoral reforms set out in the Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMP) proposal.

As explained last weekend, I will be saying no to MMP for these reasons:

• The case for MMP has not been made - there is no requirement or demand in Ontario for change of a system with a long and proud tradition that has no apparent or demonstrated structural flaws.


• We have no actual, detailed MMP legislation to consider, so we don't know what we'd actually be getting with MMP. The proposal is a "work in progress" that leaves far too many questions unanswered - particularly regarding how the unelected "List Members" will be nominated and chosen.


• New and small parties don't need affirmative action from MMP - they need sound policy, time to build and political skills to get elected.


• Finally, I am concerned that the framing of the Referendum Question itself leaves much to be desired. Who came up with the ridiculous catchphrase "first past the post," anyways?

For further discussion, see our post, Ontario MMP Referendum: No et Non.

On Election Day, polls will close at 9:00 p.m.

According to Elections Ontario, election and referendum results will be available as follows:

Election Results Reporting Live election results will be available on the Elections Ontario website: www.elections.on.ca.

The website will detail the number of votes cast for each candidate, the cumulative totals and the number of polling places reporting in each electoral district. Live results on polling night are unofficial.

Referendum Results Reporting Please note that referendum ballots will be counted following the completion of the counting of the election ballots. The Electoral System Referendum Act, 2007, provides that election and referendum ballots must be counted separately.

For this reason, it is anticipated that referendum results will not be available until the morning of October 11, 2007. Live referendum results will be available on the Elections Ontario website: www.elections.on.ca. The website will detail the number of votes cast for each referendum choice, the cumulative totals and the number of polling places reporting.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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