Ranked ballots voted down for Toronto election, which may feature money from local ‘Super PACs’

Executive committee shot down a proposal that had the possibility of reviving ranked ballots in 2022, while others warned of the return of ‘dark money’ to municipal elections.

Thestar.com
Dec. 2, 2016
By Jennifer Pagliaro

The mayor’s executive committee shot down a proposal late Thursday night that would have revived the possibility of ranked ballots for the 2022 election.

Others decried recent changes to provincial rules that would essentially allow the equivalent of U.S. super PACs into municipal elections and open the gates to the influence of so-called “dark money,” or money that cannot easily be traced back to the party that benefits most from it.

The executive committee voted 6-3 to kill a motion asking staff to report on the viability of forming a citizen’s reference panel, an independent body that would explore ranked ballots and make recommendations to council.

That idea was put forward by Dave Meslin, a longtime advocate for ranked ballots, which are said to make elections more representative of residents’ choices.

“It depoliticizes the process and takes power away from the activists and also the politicians, and puts it in the hands of randomly-selected citizens who go through a deliberative dialogue and education process,” Meslin told the committee. He said similar panels are already used in Toronto and across the country.

“I think some councillors would lose their jobs under a more fair voting system. That’s not my opinion; this is coming from councillors who have said to me behind closed doors, ‘Listen, Dave, I like you and I think your activism’s great, but I think I would lose my job under your proposal, so I can’t support it.”

Ultimately, Meslin said, the decision would still be up to council after receiving the panel’s advice or the city could hold a referendum on the issue.

Ranked ballots work by asking voters to rank their top three choices for candidates. The candidate with the least votes is eliminated and the second choices of the people who voted for that candidate are tallied. The process repeats until one of the candidates has more than 50 per cent - a majority - of the votes.

Advocates say ranked ballots are not complicated, because it’s a mental calculation we do every day: I’d like to have a hamburger for lunch, but if they’re out of hamburgers, I’ll have a hot dog. If not a hamburger or a hot dog, I can get by with just fries.

It also eliminates the pressure to vote strategically, allowing residents to pick the candidate they actually prefer, and rank acceptable alternatives.

Executive member Councillor Paul Ainslie moved a motion for staff to report back on the possibility of a panel in January

“I think it’s important to move this forward,” Ainslie said. “I think it’s important to make sure that residents in the City of Toronto feel their vote is accounted for, whether they vote for the person that has the majority at the first pass of people on the ballot or their second or third choice.”

Ainslie’s motion was supported by Councillors Ana Bailao and Mary-Margaret McMahon. They were overruled by councillors Gary Crawford, Frank Di Giorgio, James Pasternak, Cesar Palacio, David Shiner and Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong. Mayor John Tory was absent for the vote.

“I think the current system works,” Shiner said Thursday.

Last year, council reversed an earlier decision to back ranked ballots without warning, led by newcomer Councillor Justin Di Ciano who argued they were too “confusing.”

Tory, who has supported ranked ballots, voted against that reversal.

The panel idea could be revived at the council meeting later this month.

The challenges of implementing a new voting system mean ranked ballots would likely not be possible for 2018, but Meslin argued they could be considered for the following election after several years of consultation.

While ranked ballots aren’t currently in the cards, third-party advertisers could significantly alter the game during the next election.

Recent changes by the province to the Municipal Elections Act authorized advertising in local elections from third parties, including unions and corporations, which are now banned from donating to candidates in Toronto elections.

Although the city’s sign rules have prevented third parties from posting election endorsements, online and broadcast advertising by third parties has never been explicitly banned and was seen in the most recent election, notably with attack ads against John Tory, when he was campaigning to be mayor.

The new rules, some of which the city clerk called “very vague,” would allow any group or individual to register a third party that can post signs and purchase print, online and broadcast advertising. The signs could promote or denigrate a candidate or a certain issue.

Under the new rules, it would be difficult to know who is behind any third party during the election and who is backing it, even though that party must submit financial statements. Parties could register as, for example, a “Coalition Against Road Tolls” or a “Coalition to Keep Toronto Hydro Public.”

Councillor Gord Perks called that new reality horrifying.

“This will be the single biggest setback to fair and free elections in the City of Toronto in living memory,” he said. “This brings dark money into Toronto politics. It’s super PACs for local elections.”

In the U.S., both third-party groups, criticized for a lack of transparency and wielding enormous influence, and outside attack ads, are prolific.

Limits on third-party spending in Ontario are not yet spelled out, but it would be possible for many third-party groups to be set up to advocate for the same cause or candidate.

The third-party rules come into effect April 2018.