Elementary PowerPoint 3: Municipal Elections

Opening Discussion Have you ever voted for something before? How was the winner decided? Did you think the process was fair? 2

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

First-Past-the-Post First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) is the voting system currently used across Canada and for municipal and school board elections in Nova Scotia. The winning candidate must receive the most votes.

Example of First-Past-The-Post CANDIDATE NUMBER OF VOTES Thomas 340 Lisa 401 Mohamed 155 Emma 191 Question: Only one candidate is elected in the race. Which candidate is the winner?

The Municipal Election Process Chair of the Council: Mayors are all elected at-large (by all voters in the municipality). Wardens are chosen after the election by the elected councillors. They select someone from the group to take on the role. Question: Does your municipality have a mayor or a warden?

The Municipal Election Process Councillors: Elected at-large or by a district or ward system. In a district system, the municipality is broken down into smaller geographic areas that vote for their own representatives. Some municipalities use a mix of district and at-large systems. Questions: How many councillors are elected in your municipality? How are they elected?

One Member or Multiple Members In single-member races, only one candidate is elected. For example, an election for mayor or a council race where only one person is selected to represent one district/ward. In multi-member races, voters elect more than one representative. For example, six councillors may be elected at-large for the entire community. Another example is where two councillors are elected per district. Under each election type, voters mark their ballots for as many candidates as there are seats up for contest (i.e., six choices if six candidates are elected at-large).

Candidates A candidate is an individual who competes for the job of elected representative. Candidates campaign during elections to share their ideas and try to convince community members to vote for them. There are no political parties (i.e., Liberals, NDP) at the municipal level in Nova Scotia. The council candidates still have campaign strategies and a list of goals for the community, but they work as independent politicians.

Discussion Would you ever be a candidate and run for election? How would you share your message and convince others to vote for you? How can you find out more about how the council is elected in your community?

How does someone run for election? In order to run as a candidate in the municipal election in Nova Scotia, you must: Have turned 18 years of age; Have been living in the municipality for at least six months; All money and taxes owing to the municipality have been paid; Not disqualified under the Municipal Elections Act.

Getting to know the Candidates There are many ways to learn about your local candidates: Traditional media sources (radio, TV, newspaper and magazines) Social media (websites, Twitter, Facebook) Candidate debates or town hall meetings Campaign offices and events, door-to-door canvassing Discussion with family and friends

Final Thoughts How should you compare and evaluate candidates? What qualities and skills do you expect from politicians? What local issues are important to you? What else do you want to know or research before making your decision?