Secondary PowerPoint 3: Territorial Elections

Opening Discussion Have you ever voted for something before? How was the winner decided? Did you think the process was fair? Why or why not? 2

Elections Elections are contests of leadership, ideas, power and politics. An electoral system or voting system is the method of electing our politicians. Voting systems differ based on the way choices are presented on a ballot and the process for determining which candidate wins.

What is a political party? A political party is a group of like-minded individuals with a shared vision and political ideals. Anyone above the required age can be a member of a political party — for most parties, that age is 14. Party members work together to achieve power through an election, form government and achieve their political goals. Each party also selects a leader, usually through a leadership contest or vote.

Yukon Political Parties There are 5 registered political parties in Yukon: Yukon First Nations Party Yukon Green Party Yukon Liberal Party Yukon New Democratic Party Yukon Party

Yukon Political Parties YUKON FIRST NATIONS PARTY

What is our electoral system? Yukon uses a system called First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) or Single-Member Plurality. Citizens elect one member per electoral district. Voters can only choose one candidate on their ballot. The winning candidate must receive at least one more vote than any other candidate. This is also known as a plurality.

How does First-Past-The-Post work? An example of FPTP, in an electoral district with 100 ballots cast. CANDIDATE NUMBER OF VOTES Lisa (Banana Party) 40 Mohamed (Pear Party) 15 Emma (Apple Party) 11 Thomas (Independent) 34 Lisa wins because she has the most votes (40), even though most voters chose someone else (60 voters).

What is an electoral district? An electoral district is the name given to a geographical area represented by an elected official. It is also known as a riding or constituency. The size of an electoral division is determined by population size and geographical factors (roads, rivers, towns, etc.). The people living within an electoral district are called constituents.

How does someone run for election? During the election, several people in each electoral district will compete for the job of representative. A person running for election is called a candidate. Any person who wants to run in the provincial election must file nomination papers with Elections Yukon by the nomination deadline. Political parties select candidates to run for their party in electoral districts across the territory. Candidates can also run as independents (without any affiliation to a party).

Discussion Why are political parties important? What advantages and disadvantages are there to running for a party? Would you ever join a political party? Why or why not?

Forming the Government Yukon will be electing 19 MLAs in the 2016 territorial election. The political party with the largest number of elected MLAs after the election becomes the governing party and their leader becomes the premier. The party that wins the second most seats becomes the official opposition. It is their job to hold the government accountable.

What is a party platform? A series of declared principles and policies on jurisdictional issues concerning government and the public. While all the political parties may agree that education is a priority, they may have different ideas about how to improve the system or which aspects to focus on. Political parties announce their platform through announcements, advertising and events, and share their ideas to attract support from voters.

Getting to know the Candidates There are many ways to gather information about your local candidates: town hall meetings or candidate debates, radio and television, newspaper and magazines, websites and social media, and campaign offices and events. To make an informed decision, it is helpful to reflect on how you feel about the topics discussed throughout the campaign.

Your Own Political Views Your political views are developed from your experiences, personal values and opinions. Your views are also shaped by talking to people whose opinions you respect, researching media and by reflecting on your values.

Final Thoughts How should you evaluate candidates? What characteristics or qualifications do you expect from your MLA? Which local issues are important to you? What else do you want to know or research before making your decision?