1. Elections and Democracy January 29 th

2. Last Day: “Please Vote for Me” As an experiment in holding a democratic election, was it a success? – What are your criteria for judging?

3. Democratic Ideals political equality majority rule popular sovereignty political liberty (rights and freedoms) minority rights political competition rule of law How do we “design Democracy” to achieve these ideals?? How do we embed these ideals in institutions and processes?

4. Elections are critical! Popular sovereignty – citizens must be able to “throw the rascals out” Fair political competition – key to even the most minimalist versions of democracy, (i.e., democratic elitism) Achieving political equality – citizens should have equal voice Organizing majority rule – if each vote is to be counted equally, the decision of the majority must be accepted Representing minorities – minorities must achieve equality

5. Fair Political Competition What constitutes “fair” – who chooses the candidates? http://www.canada.com/news/Conservatives+ignoring+democr acy+blocking+nomination+Guergis/2993452/story.html http://www.canada.com/news/Conservatives+ignoring+democr acy+blocking+nomination+Guergis/2993452/story.html – how much money may they spend? http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/0 3/31/cv-election-spending-limits-914.html# http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/0 3/31/cv-election-spending-limits-914.html# – how does debate take place? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario- liberal-leadership-hopeful-alleges-his-own-party-playing-too- safe/article6221012/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario- liberal-leadership-hopeful-alleges-his-own-party-playing-too- safe/article6221012/

6. What, then, are the prospects for achieving Political Equality?

7. Organizing majority rule and minority representation also complicated…depends on electoral system! Single-Member Plurality Systems vs. Proportional Representation Systems

8. Canadian National Election Results, 2011 Vote (%) Cons.39.6% NDP30.6% BQ6.0% Libs18.9% Green3.9%

9. Canadian National Election Results, 2011 Vote (%) Seats (308) Cons.39.6%166 NDP30.6%103 BQ6.0%4 Libs18.9%34 Green3.9%1

10. http://elections.ca/res/cir/maps/im ages/Canada_large.pdf http://elections.ca/res/cir/maps/im ages/Canada_large.pdf

11. Canadian National Election Results, 2011 Vote (%) Seats (308) Seats (%) Diff. Cons.39.6%16654%+14.4% NDP30.6%10333%+2.4% BQ6.0%41.2%-4.8% Libs18.9%3411%-7.9% Green3.9%10.3%-3.6%

12. Single Member Plurality System (SMPS) One representative per geographic area (riding, constituency, district) ‘First-past-the-post’, ‘winner-take-all’ system

15. SMPS and the Democratic Ideals… Majority government but not necessarily majority rule Minority rights? – what prospects for minor national parties? Political equality? – does every vote seem to count? Popular sovereignty – direct representative-citizen link

16. Alternative Systems: Proportional Representation Representation (# of seats) directly proportional to share of popular vote received (# of votes) Mechanics: – party lists – single-transferable vote

17. PR and the Democratic Ideals Majority government unlikely Minorities better represented Political equality? – every vote seems to count Popular sovereignty – no direct representative-citizen link More political competition – more choice! – more representative of public opinion, minorities, diverse interests

18. Hypothetical Results Under Different Electoral Systems - 2011 Can. Election % VoteSeats: SMPS Seats: PR Cons.39.6%166121 NDP30.6%10394 BQ6.0%418 Libs18.9%3458 Green3.9%112

19. Other Alternative Systems German ‘Hybrid’Model – mixed member proportional system – 2 votes: candidate, party list – 5% rule

21. PR and the Democratic Ideals… Majority rule – but perhaps not majority government Minority representation easier Political equality – every vote seems to count? Popular sovereignty – no direct representative-citizen link