Single Transferable Vote

1. What is the STV system?

2. Explain the May 2009 referendum on STV.

3. Do you like the STV system? Why/Why not? Give three reasons.

* add a picture of someone voting

1. The Single Transferable Voting system, or the preferential vote, means that voters rank their favorite candidates in a "first, second, third, etc" format. The excess votes that don't count towards the already elected candidate are transfered over to the candidate that was ranked second on the ballots. This process continues until three candidates are elected. This means that a voters votes may not count towards the person that they voted for.

2. In May of 2009, another vote for the STV system will be put into place. If 60% of the voters agree, the STV system may be exchanged for the current voting system. Voters will vote either yes or no, as well as who they want elected.

3. I agree with the STV system to an extent. I think it's a good, fair idea, but I also think that it's a little bit too complex for the average Canadian citizen to understand. People get caught up in the math of it all and get frustrated because they can't figure it out. As well, a person's vote may not count towards the person they had initially planned on voting for. In a good sense though, the lower parties, such as the Green party will finally benefit. As well, because there are fewer ridings with more candidates, citizen representation will be high. The equality of this system is appropriate because if you get 50% of the votes, you get 50% of the seats. This system will lead to many more minority governments as there are more parties and voices.

Political Spectrum

1. Do you support LW, C, or RW political ideology?

Three reasons and why.

Personally, I support Central ideology. I think this because it combines a little bit of both Left wing and Right Wing ideologies. Because there are parts of both that I agree and likewise, disagree, I find that an appropriate settlement occurs with the Central ideology. Also, I believe that countries can benefit greatly from both the Left Wing and the Right Wing ideologies. Sometimes it is necessary to have stricter government involvement depending on the situation. After completeing the worksheet that pinpointed the spot on the political spectrum that I agree with I learned that I am leaning more towards a Liberal ideology and the Political Spectrum sheet states that an example of the Central ideology is, in fact, Liberal.