Politically-orchestrated "grassroots" campaign launches to fight electoral reforms
A Liberal and his two Conservatives friends think there are "dangers" to ranked ballots

thestar.com
June 24, 2016
By Betsy Powell

Toronto Councillor Justin Di Ciano, a self-described lifelong Liberal, has teamed up with two influential Conservative advisers to fight any move to replace Canada’s electoral system.

“Keep Voting Simple will focus its campaign on reminding Canadians our current electoral system has served our country exceptionally well for almost a 150 years,” Di Ciano said Friday.

Nick Kouvalis, who helped move John Tory and Rob Ford into the Toronto mayor’s chair, and Richard Ciano, former Ontario Progressive Conservative Party president, are also part of the “grassroots campaign,” Di Ciano said standing behind a podium at 642 King Street West - the building where Kouvalis’ and Ciano’s Campaign Research firm is located.

“Grassroots? Grassroots groups usually aren’t spearheaded by politician . . . and don’t have ten-foot vinyl banners,” tweeted Dave Meslin, creative director of the volunteer group Unlock Democracy.

Last year, Di Ciano (Ward 5, Etobicoke-Lakeshore) introduced a motion that led to council reversing a 2013 decision to ask the province to use a ranked ballot system.

Since then, he has been actively campaigning to stop electoral reform - appearing at Queen’s Park committees, debating ranked ballot supporters in his office and on the radio and lecturing just about anyone who will listen on why it is a bad idea to overhaul the way Canadians vote.

Di Ciano said Keep Voting Simple is focused on Ottawa where a parliamentary committee has been struck to examine the current voting system and propose alternative methods of electing MPs.

He said that is searching for a solution to a problem where none exists.

“The majority of Canadians think our voting system works well, provides representation from a geographical, descriptive and ideological perspective. It produces stable and efficient governments capable of enacting timely legislation and it is simple to understand,” he said.

“Special interests and backroom operatives are the only beneficiaries when voting systems become more complicated. They know how to navigate the system, because they are paid to do so.”

According to Di Ciano, potential alternatives fall into two broad categories: ranked choice voting and proportional representation, or hybrids of both.

Ranked choice, he said, suffers “democratic short comings.” It’s complicated, produces drastic increases in voter error by disadvantaged, ethnic and elderly voters, it is costly, requires massive public education campaigns and complex voting machines.

And, contrary to some information, “ranked choice does not produce the will of the majority, it remains a plurality system, just like first-past-the-post.”

He added proportional representation, another alternative to first-past-the-post, is “purpose built for instability.”

“Say goodbye to stable majority governments who think long term and in the best interest of the people, say hello to coalition governments, similar to Greek, Italian, French style parliaments, with constant protests, upheaval, unrest and of course elections.”

Di Ciano said while he initially embraced ranked choice voting, he saw its flaws when he started looking at other jurisdictions.

Di Ciano added the three co-founders who want to respond to the “one-sided argument in the media.” “I know no one better who can explain complex issues and reached out to these two gentlemen, I think to spread the message.”

Rick Smith, executive director of the Broadbent Institute, attended Friday’s sparsely attended news conference.

The Broadbent Institute and 50 other organizations “are part of a truly, national grassroots, rainbow coalition advocating for a proportional voting system, something virtually every other OECD country on this planet already has,” he said afterward stepping onto sun-baked King Street West.

“Proportional systems give better outcomes for voters and a proportional ballot is no more complicated than our current ballot.”

It’s a system “elects more women, results in better policy and makes sure every voter counts unlike our current archaic, nineteenth century first-past-the-post system,” he said.

“This notion that only our current system can be defined as simple is nonsense, virtually every country on this planet use a proportionate system and I don’t think voters in Germany are any more or less intelligent than voters in Canada.”