In a democracy, government representatives
are chosen by election, where citizens who
are 18 years of age or older express their
support for candidates through a vote.
Have you ever voted for something?
Do you know how the winner was selected?
Around the world there are many different
systems used to translate citizen support,
expressed through votes, into a representative
government.
These are called electoral systems.
In Ontario, and across Canada, we use the
First-Past-The-Post, or Single-Member Plurality,
electoral system.
The country or province is divided into smaller
areas called electoral districts.
These electoral districts are determined by
population as well as roads and rivers and
cities and towns.
People living in an electoral district are
called constituents.
Electoral systems differ by the number of
representatives elected per district, the
type of ballot used and the formula used for
declaring candidates.
Under the First-Past-the-Post system, one
person is elected per electoral district.
In other words, we have single-member districts.
The next aspect is voter choice.
Under the First-Past-the-Post system, voters
are only allowed to choose one candidate on
their ballot.
It is not possible to rank the choices or
choose more than one candidate.
One choice, one vote.
The final aspect is electoral formula.
This is the math part.
The winning candidate does not have to gain
the support of the majority of voters; they
just have to receive the most number of votes
compared to the rest of the candidates in
their electoral district.
This is called plurality.
In the next Ontario election, we will elect
107 Members of Provincial Parliament to sit
in the Ontario legislature.
The difference between winning and losing
an electoral district can be decided by one
vote out of thousands, and an entire election
can be decided by just one seat.
Every vote counts!
