Yes, It’s Proportional An introduction to DMP for electoral reform advocates

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Canadians interested in electoral reform are becoming aware of a newly invented voting system called Dual Member Proportional, or DMP. What makes DMP stand out is that it’s a form of proportional representation, yet it retains the following widely valued qualities of our current system:

  • The ballot is simple.
  • The ridings are small.
  • All elected representatives are accountable to their local constituents.

Having so much in common with First Past the Post, some electoral reform advocates wonder if Dual Member Proportional is really proportional at all. Are you among them?

This article will fill you in on the core principles, the key people, and the research behind this exciting new option for electoral reform. Read on to see 3 reasons you can be sure that DMP is proportional. Continue reading →

So what’s this brand new voting system they’re talking about in Prince Edward Island?

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Public consultations are underway to decide on a plebiscite question that could change the way MLAs are elected in the province of Prince Edward Island.

To help get things started, the Government of PEI released a video. It informs Islanders about 5 voting systems under consideration:

  • First-Past-The-Post
  • First-Past-The-Post-Plus
  • Dual-Member Mixed Proportional (DMP)
  • Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)
  • Preferential Voting

Of the 5 options, the most original by far is the brand new voting system in the middle, DMP. Continue reading →

Cooperative Proportional Explained An election in the country of Adanac

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Update: This article describes my initial thoughts on a proportional voting system involving exactly two MPs per riding. I later found out about Dual Member Proportional (DMP) a fully developed system similar in essence to the one described here.

The country of Adanac has recently held its first election using a new voting system called Cooperative Proportional. In this system, every riding elects two MPs who cooperate to serve their constituents’ needs. Since Adanac has 10 ridings, its House of Commons has 20 seats.

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Cooperative Proportional Refined A 20% rule to prioritize community representation

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Update: This article describes my initial thoughts on a proportional voting system involving exactly two MPs per riding. I later found out about Dual Member Proportional (DMP) a fully developed system similar in essence to the one described here.

(Download PDF)

If there’s one change Canadians want to see in our electoral system, it’s a little more proportionality. According to a recent Abacus Data survey1, Canadians would prefer a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system to ranked ballots. The survey participants also favoured the goal that “the number of seats held by a party in Parliament closely matches their actual level of support throughout the country” to other electoral changes such as ensuring MPs have majority support in a district, electing more women and people with diverse backgrounds, or electing more independents. If Canada’s voting system were to change, yet fail to move even slightly in the direction of proportional representation, the reform would be regarded as disappointing at best.

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Cooperative Proportional A new voting system for Canada

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Update: This article describes my initial thoughts on a proportional voting system involving exactly two MPs per riding. I later found out about Dual Member Proportional (DMP) a fully developed system similar in essence to the one described here.

(Download PDF)

As Canada considers its options for electoral reform, I put forward a new voting system called Cooperative Proportional (CP).

The system is cooperative in two regards. First, instead of choosing a single candidate to run in a riding, a party chooses one candidate and one co-candidate who cooperate to win votes. Second, instead of electing a single MP to represent their riding, voters elect one representative and one co-representative who cooperate to serve the constituents. A riding’s representative and co-representative may be from the same party or from different parties, or one or both could be independents. They should have equal standing in the House of Commons, and their riding-level decisions should be made by consensus. Although two MPs are elected in each riding, the ridings would double in size so that the total number of seats remains the same.

Continue reading →