Post on 20-May-2015
Election System
and Numbers!!
Yes there will be some math.
How
are
MPs
Ele
cted?
To become elected a
candidate must win the most votesThe candidate does
NOT need more than
50% of the votesEach candidate runs in
a single riding
Does the PM run in a riding?
Rid
ings
in
Canada http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia
/commons/c/ca/Blank_Canada_fed_election_riding_map.svg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Alberta_federal_ridings_%28rural%29_-_Crowfoot.svg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Canada_2011_Federal_Election.svg
Who f
orm
s th
e
Gove
rnm
ent?
The party who wins the
most ridings is elected
as the governmentThis is NOT necessarily
the party with the most
votesA party does NOT need
over 50% of the seats
to win
There are 308 seats in the HOC, how many would a party need for 50%?
Two possible outcomes (page 28)
Majo
rity
Gove
rnm
ent
Pros
Can move
faster (all
votes are
symbolic)
Big changes
can occur
Cons
Little regard
to opposition’s
concerns
May not
represent
the majority
of Canadians
Min
ority
Gove
rnm
ent
Pros
Represent
more
interests
Parties work
together
Cons
Slower
moving
Harder to
make big
changes
Ele
ctions
Resu
lts
Examples of possible outcomes
What type of government would this be?
Popula
r Vote
The winning candidate or government may not be the most popularPopular vote: The total
votes cast in an election,
as different from the total seats won in an election
Do you think that we should use the popular vote instead of ridings? Why
or why not?