dave meslin Profile picture
Jun 7, 2018 11 tweets 6 min read Read on X
If I was asked to design an election process that would guarantee low levels of participation, I would include ten simple elements. First, I'd hold the election in the middle of the work week, unlike the dozens of countries that hold elections on a weekend or holiday. #Onelxn Image
2. I'd use a voting system that prevents new voices from emerging. That way, you might see only three parties electing seats in the legislature during a period of sixty years, essentially boring everyone into a state of apathy. #ONelxn Image
3. I'd make sure that legislative power was entirely centralised in the Executive branch. If everyone knows their representative has no real power and that each legislator's vote is whipped in parliament, that would likely reduce turnout. #OnElxn Image
4. I would prevent young teenagers from voting. That way, they'll develop an early habit of disengagement during their most formative years. In Ontario, a sixteen year old is considered old enough to have sex with their MPP, but not old enough to vote for them. #ONelxn Image
5. I would prevent all Permanent Residents from voting despite that fact that they live here, work here, pay taxes + send their kids to school. This would ensure that new immigrants aren't encouraged to develop habits of political participation. globalnews.ca/news/4157232/c… #OnElxn
6. I'd make sure there was no "None of the Above" option, like many other places have on their ballots. That way, disgruntled voters will just stay at home. (Better yet, I'd create an option to 'decline' your ballot but make sure no one knows about it.) thestar.com/news/queenspar…
7. I'd allow a handful of unaccountable private media networks to organise rigged Leaders Debates that exclude anyone except a small cartel of parties who already hold seats in the legislature. This would guarantee inertia and quell any attempts at innovation/disruption. #ONelxn Image
8. I'd make sure civics was only offered in one year of highschool, as a 1/2 credit, with mind-numbing content, and that there was no training available for civics teachers. That way, when it comes time to vote for your MPP, most people will simply wonder "What's an MPP?" #ONelxn
9. I'd force everyone to line-up for their turn to vote on a piece of paper, rather than including an option to vote online. That way, we can teach our kids what it was like to rent videos, buy tapes, book flights or get cash from a bank teller. It's important to teach history! Image
10. Lastly, I'd use an obscure and discredited voting system that forces people to vote strategically, rewards negative campaigning, and creates either unstable minority governments or fake majorities that most voters didn't ask for. facebook.com/events/2184232… #OnElxn
...All that aside, do get out and vote today. This is the system we're stuck with for now, so make the best of it. But let's also raise our expectations about what our democracy can look and feel like. We can do better. Let's fix it! Polls are open til 9: …terinformationservice.elections.on.ca/en/election/se…

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More from @meslin

Jun 27, 2023
THREAD: So this fellow asked me what would have happened in Toronto's election last night - if we had a ranked ballot. My ADHD impulses compelled me to drop everything I'm SUPPOSED to be doing this morning, and I spent the last hour calculating a hypothetical runoff...
First, let me say that these types of simulations are ridiculous. Democratic reform, of any type (ranked ballots, proportional, semi-proportional, whatever) don't just chance the math on election night. Voting systems affect WHO runs, HOW they run, and HOW we all vote.
Second, we don't actually know how people would have ranked their ballots. So I had to do a lot of guesswork. To the best of my knowledge, I estimated where votes would have gone, for each round.
Read 25 tweets
Sep 22, 2021
Once again, the largest voting block in Canada is - BY FAR - the group that stayed at home. This is a massive rebuke of Canada's bullshit obscure electoral system that stifles new voices, crushes innovation, obliterates diversity and exaggerates support for two dinosaur parties.
2. According to this article, "experts" are seeking answers. 😹

globalnews.ca/news/8209056/c…
3. We know the answers. Here are ten of them, written three years ago for the 2019 Ontario election:

Read 5 tweets
Oct 20, 2020
1. This is the most important thread I've written in years. Please RT. Two years ago, London City Council became the first government in Canada to ditch First-Past-the-Post. The results were astounding. Take a moment to watch this short video:
2. Next week, @UnlockCanada is launching a brand new report about London's historic experiment. The report, #LondonLeads, is the product of months of research, and years of advocacy. RSVP here: bit.ly/3o0jCEm
3. I'll be joined by an INCREDIBLE line-up of voices from London, including the City Clerk, the city's first female Black councillor, two deputy mayors, the President of @ULLdn and the MPP who started it all!
Read 7 tweets
Mar 9, 2020
1. A short thread for anyone in Ontario who cares about road safety, tourism, natural beauty, light pollution, astronomy, mental health, lobbyist accountability, wildlife habitat, democracy, and/or death. First, a headline: toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-wants-to-…
2. Quick background: While some states + provinces allow corporate billboards to line their highways, @ONtransport has, for decades, protected all 400-series highways from billboards. From Windsor to Cornwall, Toronto to Parry Sound, you'll mostly see farmland and forest.
3. This is a far cry from what you'll find in other jurisdictions who don't protect their scenic corridors. It can get pretty ugly. (And once their up, they never come down. Prevention is the key here. 🔑)
Read 25 tweets
Feb 7, 2020
1. Three weeks ago, I ordered a box of boxes from @PkgWholesalers, via @amazonca. Specifically, I ordered a package of 25 boxes, each 6x9x6: amazon.ca/gp/product/B00…
@PkgWholesalers @amazonca 2. When the delivery arrived at my door, it was a box of Chocolate Sea Salt Granola packets.
@PkgWholesalers @amazonca 3. I was frustrated, but mistakes happen. So I went onto @amazonca and saw that I could send the package back, for free! I clicked on the "wrong item shipped" button, and asked them to re-ship the correct item.
Read 13 tweets
Nov 4, 2019
Welcome to the 13th edition of #LegoMyVote! Today, we're looking at Canada's 2019 federal election. We'll start with the popular vote. Here's how Canadians actually voted at the ballot box:
And here's how that same chart looks, if we add all the registered voters who decided to NOT participate at all:
Despite the NDP getting way more votes than the Bloc, the Conservatives getting more votes than the Liberals, and the Greens getting more than a million votes... the distorted results under First Past the Post look like this:
Read 14 tweets

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