Students call for new electoral system

Canadian Federation of Students
News Release

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TORONTO - Delegates representing students' unions from across the province overwhelmingly voted to support the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system that was recommended by the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform in May. This vote occurred at the recent Annual General Meeting of Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, that brought together more than 80 representatives from over 30 students' unions across the province.

"It's time to change the system," said Jen Hassum, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. "For far too long, our votes on Election Day have not been properly reflected in the number of seats assigned to each party by the current, outdated system."

The growing support among students for changing the voting system to MMP is based on results that similar systems have yielded in other jurisdictions, including greater voter choice, fairer election results, and stronger representation for traditionally under-represented groups.

"It's no surprise that young Ontarians are less likely to vote with the current first-past-the-post electoral system in place" said Hassum. "Their votes are often wasted simply because of the riding where they cast their vote. If the referendum in October is successful, Ontario's voting system will finally catch up to most other modern democracies around the world."

Students plan to aggressively promote the advantages of the proposed new system in advance of the election and referendum on electoral reform by supporting Fair Vote Ontario's campaign to change the system.

Recently, Elections Ontario improved voter identification requirement that will make voting in the upcoming October 10 referendum more accessible for students. "Students have a better chance than ever to participate in this election and change the system for future generations," said Hassum. "October 10 may be the last chance in a long time for Ontarians to fix a broken electoral system."

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