I am going to preface this by saying that this was shared with me by a friend and I am still trying to get my head wrapped around it. I am not an expert or even well read on the subject but do believe that the voting systems in Canada need to change. I post in the interest of building the discussion in this community.
<Quote> I like single transferrable vote (STV), but it’s unlikely to catch on because it needs number crunching in the backend to apportion the excess votes to (hopefully) improve proportionality. I can see it being accused of corruption by the fact and critical-thinking challenged demographic.
Baden-Württemberg solves that by saying that every riding has two members, one who wins the popular vote, and one who is selected from the runners-up in a manner that best enhances proportionality, but still focuses on the high vote earners.
Mixed member proportional representation (MMR) is too easily gamed by parties to embed unelectable party hacks/loyalists (as experienced in NZ). </Quote>
I appreciate you sharing this to spark discussion. As someone deeply concerned about electoral reform in Canada, let me address these points systematically.
If you haven’t already, take a look at: A Simple Guide to Electoral Systems, and other information in the sidebar.
The criticism of STV being “too complex” or vulnerable to accusations of corruption is a common but misguided concern. While STV does involve mathematical calculations to distribute excess votes, these calculations follow transparent, predetermined formulas - not arbitrary decisions. Several democracies like Ireland have successfully used STV for decades without significant corruption accusations. The benefit of STV is that it maintains local representation while ensuring proportionality, and allows voters to rank candidates by preference - expressing their full democratic voice. Even if STV is “too complex”, that doesn’t mean we should compromise on a fundamental democratic principle: proportionate representation.
Regarding the Baden-Württemberg model mentioned, it’s an interesting hybrid approach. However, it’s important to note that this system isn’t fully proportional. It’s a form of parallel voting that attempts to improve proportionality while maintaining FPTP elements. This half-measure approach would still leave many votes without meaningful impact on electoral outcomes.
The criticism of MMP being “gamed” to include “party hacks” is a design issue, not an inherent flaw in the system. New Zealand’s challenges could be addressed through better implementation - for example, by using open lists where voters have direct input on which party candidates are selected, rather than closed lists where parties have complete control. Open list MMP is the variant of MMP advocated by fairvote canada.
What’s crucial to understand is that any electoral system using winner-take-all mechanisms (like FPTP) systematically discards votes. In our current system, millions of perfectly valid ballots have zero effect on representation. This isn’t just mathematically inefficient - it’s fundamentally undemocratic.
Both STV and properly designed MMP would be vast improvements over our current system. I slightly prefer STV because it doesn’t formalize political parties in the electoral process, but either would ensure that vote percentages match seat percentages - the core principle of democratic representation.
What’s your view on electoral reform? Have you looked into the mathematical comparisons between these systems?