It’s been 2.5 weeks since the election, and the Pair Vote team is still catching its breath. Our small, hard-working team has needed some rest and a chance to refocus on the lives they set aside during the election.
The election brought mixed results. We celebrate the historic election of Elizabeth May, the first Green party member elected to the House of Commons. We lament the false majority Conservative government, elected with only 40% of the vote. The chance for electoral reform at the federal level for now has disappeared.
Yet, the cries for real reform grow louder and stronger. 8000 of you chose not to be a victim of our broken voting system by registering to pair vote. Numerous newspaper editorials, and organized protests like the Day Of Action reveal that citizens are not satisfied with the status quo.
The efforts of Pair Vote in the last two elections show that vote swapping has the potential to become a powerful force for change. What we need is to scale participation, so that vote swapping becomes a deciding factor in the kind of government we elect. What we need to do is to go from 8000 to 100,000 vote swappers. That means it’s time to get serious and go beyond a small group of volunteers, and to build and promote a system that puts more power in the hands of voters, a system that political parties and concerned citizen groups embrace for real change.
Governments will then be faced with a choice: yield to vote swapping and its effect on results, or give in and deliver real voting reform. Until we have reform, Pair Vote is here to stay.
Much help will be needed along the way. We invite you to be a part of this movement. Start by subscribing to e-mail updates. Help build the next generation vote swapping system. Assist in outreach and marketing efforts.
Thanks again for being a part of this experiment in democratic reform. It’s been our pleasure to serve you. You’ve been a tremendous support, both in words and through generous giving. Your encouragement gave us the energy to keep going when we all felt exhausted.
We invite you to read over our final report below, which outlines the actual results of vote swapping in the federal election.
Yours for a strong democracy,
Gerry and the Pair Vote team
Our goals for this election, based on the interests expressed by pair voters were (in order of priority) to:
“1. Prevent a false majority by the Conservatives by swapping non-Conservative votes in swing ridings where Conservative party might have won – this party is the least motivated to reform anything, and the only majority threat.
2. Elect Elizabeth May as first Green Party member of parliament so approximately one million Canadian voters have an official voice.
3. For races mostly irrelevant to these goals (NDP-Liberal, Bloc-Liberal or Bloc-NDP), swap two ineffective votes for two effective votes.
4. Where this is not possible, suggest a swap that makes one vote for an ideologically closely allied party effective against one that is less allied. (This includes swapping Libertarian and Christian Heritage votes to get effective Conservative votes while preserving the small party vote total).”
1. Far-right false majority : A 39.6% minority elected a majority government – 100% of the power. This is not good for democracy. The result does not reflect the intentions of voters. Unlike previous false majorities such as Jean Chretien ‘s, the Prime Minister’s party is isolated on the extreme right of the political spectrum, while Chretien had two parties (NDP, Bloc) to his left and two (PC, Reform) to his right. This is a recipe for chaos, as over 60% of Canadian voters support quite similar policies advanced by the four opposition parties in the House.
In retrospect, just over 6200 votes (pending recounts) in 14 federal districts (popularly called “ridings”) gave Mr. Harper this false majority. This is less than half the usual sum of such margins. The total votes swapped by pairvote.ca alone in these 14 were 163, meaning 2.62% of the total margin of victory. Pairvote also had an additional 94 orphaned voters in these key ridings, who did not get a match.
2. First elected Green MP : Green supporters got their breakthrough with the election of Elizabeth May in Saanich-Gulf Islands. Pair Vote’s team, including some on the ground in the riding itself, worked especially hard to support Greens who suffered without representation long enough. While Green total national vote was down in this election, this was likely due to strategic shifts to the NDP that weren’t achieved through accountable swaps, and May being shut out of the debate. A swap strategy will be available to Greens in future provincial elections.
May’s margin of victory, over 7000 votes, was greater than the sum of all margins in Harper’s 14 closest victories. In theory, perfect distribution of these excess votes into those 14 would have prevented the false majority, although actually calculating the distribution in advance would have required near-perfect simulation.
Due to minimal demand from voters, and the general collapse of the vote for the Bloc and some small parties with conservative ideals, goals 3 and 4 were also achieved but only on a scale of dozens rather than hundreds of votes.
Further testimonials available /voter-stories-can2011/
78k unique visitors of www.pairvote.ca during the election, leading to 7522 completed registrations, an extremely high (9.6%) acquisition rate.
Pair Vote matched a voter in a close race (swing riding) with one who was not, to maximize voting impact. Both voters ensured a vote for their party of choice, plus one vote had a real chance of electing someone. That’s the best vote swapping can do within our broken voting system.
In order of most total swapped votes:
In order of greatest provable impact of formally swapped votes:
Swap Statistics from the 14 districts clinching the Conservative majority:
To see a full listing of swaps please see /voting-intentions/
Using the first past the post system in a diverse multi-party country does not allow for the majority of the stakeholders to have their say. It threatens our ability to have multi-parties and forces citizens into ‘strategically’ voting, pairing to try and find a way to affect the outcome of the election.
Voter apathy is at another high. 61% of eligible voters took party on May 2, 2011, a mere 2% more than 2008. This is a national shame; The first past the post system is partially to blame. Voter testimonials, above, show that people paired with swing voters felt real excitement and commitment to the process. Some whose votes have provably never counted, now count in ever election. This suggests we could improve turnout with any of these:
Surely any of these proven approaches would be fairer than 6200 voters giving an ideologically-isolated 39.6% the unchecked power of the Prime Minister’s office, including appointment of Senators, Supreme Court justices, and the right to declare war. They would also be superior to a dedicated cadre of vote swappers seizing balance of power.
Pair Vote intends to continue to make a difference, and to continue to oppose false majority government and unfair exclusions of widely-supported parties from the debates, and under-representation of such parties in legislatures.
Pairvote.ca will continue to build the grassroots movement toward electoral reform. We are preparing for the Ontario Provincial Elections, October 2, 2011, and intend again to prevent a false majority by any leading party of the far left or right, and intend again to elect Green leaders and deputies to give those voters some voice.
We will include a ranking ballot system to improve and maximize our ability to pair voters, and ask voters for other priorities such as electing women or youth, opposing corruption, enabling transparency and open process.
Pair Vote was started as an experiment by Gerry Kirk, a Canadian who believes our voting system is what ills our democracy. He discovered pair voting was used in US elections and decided to try it in the 2008 federal election in Canada as a way to draw attention to the vote reform issue. The response was tremendous, clearly tapping into a desire people had to make their vote count (see /canada-2008/final-report/ ). Pair Vote was also used in the 2009 BC provincial election, to support the electoral referendum in that province.
Pair vote is 100% volunteer driven by individuals interested in electoral reform and helping to represent the under-represented.
The voteswap.ca watchdog organization was started by Andrea Witzke, a Canadian whose son Brandon Witzke was unlawfully imprisoned, deprived of water, physically beaten, and defamed by officials in the press after the G20 in Toronto. A programmer and web developer by trade, Andrea worked to co-ordinate several efforts including the Vote Swap Canada 2011 facebook app , a facebook group widely used in 2008, pairvote.ca and some informal swap mechanisms. Thanks to her, these groups are committed to transparent free software development and a robust voter privacy policy that will enable maximum cooperation and coordination in all future elections.
Voteswap.ca’s coordination was also extremely important for press briefings and answering frequent questions from voters and the press. Its FAQ is considered the most complete and authoritative on the subject of strategic vs. swap voting, security and cheating problems, the history of the movement, and how its integrity is assured. It also provided the coordination of data and final reports that made this press release’s verification possible.
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Besides polls, we ranked the list as follows, based on our goals :
Here is our list, in order of swap priority. This means we will match as many voters as we can for the party, then move to the next one on the list. Let us know what you think in the comments.
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APRIL 26, 2011 – www.pairvote.ca has completed their first round of vote pairings. With a little over a week to go before the federal election, more than 5000 Canadian voters have opted to “power up” their vote by asking to be paired up with other Canadians in a vote swap.
For this election, Pair Vote matches a voter in a close race (swing riding) with one who is not, to maximize voting impact. Both voters ensure a vote for their party of choice, plus one vote has a real chance of electing someone. That’s the best vote swapping can do within our broken voting system.
Total registered: 5741
Total swaps made across 40 swing ridings: 792 (1584 votes)
Numbers breakdown by party:
Top 10 riding breakdown:
We anticipate 2-3 times our current registration totals by Saturday, April 30, the last day to register at www.pairvote.ca .
Local residents across Canada have gotten involved to start their own pair voting movements, particularly in Saanich-Gulf Islands where the effort is to get Elizabeth May elected.
“This is my second time voting with Pair Vote. I was satisfied with the conversation that I had with the man in BC who I traded with, and I believe we helped to reinforce the NDP vote in his neighborhood, while satisfying his Liberal intentions here in Toronto. – Luke”
“[Pair Vote is] a very useful tool and I hope it catches on. It’s a way for all Canadians to work together to get the results we really want!! Additionally, I made a good friend and she and I still keep in touch with each other. — Cheryl F.”
Local vote swap citizens are available to speak with media. Contact Pair Vote to request an interview.
The volunteer-run, non-partisan Pair Vote effort, which can be found at http://pairvote.ca, has heard the cries of voters who are frustrated with the First Past the Post system and has offered vote swapping as an elegant, legal, and intelligent alternative for people who feel their vote is wasted on election day.
Our goals for this election, in order of priority:
Statistics tracked on the Pair Vote site indicate that we will be swapping thousands of effective votes in this election, benefiting the Liberals, Greens and NDP most, in ridings where only a few votes can make the difference. Our goal is nothing less than a Parliament whose makeup more closely mirrors the percentage of the popular vote. In the absence of much-needed electoral reform and proportional representation, Pair Vote is an empowering solution for voters who’d prefer to vote FOR their preferred party instead of against their least-preferred one.
Interested voters –whether you are in a swing riding or not — can register for a swap, learn about how the process works, see stats on those we’ve already registered, and more at http://pairvote.ca
Gerry Kirk
906 379 0798
[email protected]
They can ! … But PairVote.ca is not likely the best choice for you, if this is your scenario. It’s just because of timing: advance polls are being held on April 22, 23, and 25, and we will not be pairing voters up early enough before those dates to give advance voters time to connect with matches, establish trust, and agree to proceed with a swap.
ALL IS NOT LOST, however! You still arrange a vote swap in a couple of ways:
In short: vote swapping is open to everyone, and while we here at Pair Vote love to help voters connect, we’re not the only method for you to “power up” your vote with a swap!
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“Hello,
My name is Dan and I’m in Saanich-Gulf Islands. Recently a few concerned people got together and discussed how to do our best to see a “not Conservative” MP elected, and in this case it’s Elizabeth May who we’re rallying behind.
I cannot speak for my whole group, but personally I believe that vote swapping education could go a long way to seeing the riding go one way versus another. Perhaps even better than traditional political party door-knocking, which seems to have been the “best” way in the past to get votes. There’s only a couple days till the Advanced Polls and not much longer till Election Day, and we’ve come up with some ideas to inform people about vote swapping options, such as by hand-delivering letters to homes with Liberal and NDP signs out front.
…..”
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Liberals and NDP’ers in Saanich we need you! Make your vote count in some close ridings across the country!
Pair voting can make their votes count in critical ridings for their preferred parties (for example, Burnaby-Douglas for the NDP; or Kingston and the Islands for the Liberal Party). These swaps give Ms. May a better chance at finally winning the Green Party a seat in the House of Commons, and have the added benefit of also increasing chances for the NDP’s Kennedy Stewart in Burnaby-Douglas and the Liberal Party’s Ted Hsu in Kingston and the Islands. It’s win-win-win, all around!
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If you haven’t registered for a swap yet, NOW is the time to do so, at http://pairvote.ca/ … and if you HAVE registered for a swap, NOW is the time to encourage your friends and colleagues — especially those who live in critical swing ridings — to consider signing up as well.
In an “open letter” to supporters and friends of the Green Party, here’s a concrete example of why our numbers – and the locations of our swappers – matter greatly:
Right now, we have more than 1000 Green voters who want to help Elizabeth May get elected in Saanich-Gulf Islands … but we only have 15 non-Green-but-Green-friendly voters (generally Liberal and NDP) signed up to swap votes in her riding. Unless this changes, we are limited to a total of 15 votes that can be swapped in favor of Ms May.
How can we fix this, and effect change?
If you are a Green Party supporter, appeal to your Liberal and NDP friends living in Saanich-Gulf Islands. Ask them to PLEASE consider a swap. We can make their votes count in critical ridings for their preferred parties (for example, Burnaby-Douglas for the NDP; or Kingston and the Islands for the Liberal Party). These swaps give Ms May a better chance at finally winning the Green Party a seat in the House of Commons, and have the added benefit of also increasing chances for the NDP’s Kennedy Stewart in Burnaby-Douglas and the Liberal Party’s Ted Hsu in Kingston and the Islands. It’s win-win-win, all around!
Remember: our first round of pairings is taking place on Monday, April 25. NOW is the time to talk to your friends and colleagues about vote swapping.
If your friends need help understanding how all of this works, point them to our Pair Vote site , or to our FAQ .
]]>CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Thu. Apr. 14 2011 8:57 AM ET
A website is urging frustrated Canadian voters to consider a type of strategic voting that could give them an opportunity to make a difference in closely contested ridings.
Pair Vote is a website that connects individuals who believe their preferred local candidate is unlikely to win a seat in Parliament, a common scenario which renders their vote powerless.
Spokesperson Katya Duhamel told CTV’s Canada AM that Pair Vote helps “empower” voters by giving these individuals the opportunity to swap their votes, in order to make a more meaningful vote in a more competitive riding.
Duhamel said a good example would be the electoral race in British Columbia’s Saanich-Gulf Islands, the riding where Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is trying to win a seat for the first time.
“For the Green supporters, this is an extremely important riding and many Green supporters don’t feel like their vote is going to count in their own riding,” Duhamel told CTV’s Canada AM from Ottawa on Thursday morning.
With Pair Vote, fervent Green supporters from other ridings can offer to vote for their local Liberal, NDP or Conservative candidate, in exchange for a pledge of support for May in the Saanich riding.
Under this scenario, both voters “have some power when they go to the ballot box because their vote is being counted,” Duhamel said.
Duhamel emphasized voters taking part in Pair Vote are given the opportunity to specify what parties they are willing to support, and they are not forced to follow the political whims of their partner.
“You are only going to be voting for a party you feel comfortable with,” Duhamel said.
The Pair Vote concept works on the honour system, as there is no way to confirm if participants follow through on their pledges once they put their vote in the ballot box.
But Duhamel said the people who are seeking out Pair Vote simply want to have more of a say with their vote and she believes their intentions are genuine.
“This is genuine, these are people who want to vote, who feel like they’ve lost power at the ballot box and they don’t feel like they’re being represented in Parliament,” she said.
Duhamel said the people behind Pair Vote ultimately want to see Canada move towards a proportional representation system, so that its democracy more fairly represents the views of its citizens.
“Six million votes in the last election were essentially wasted and I really don’t feel like that is the purpose of a democracy,” Duhamel said.
The Pair Vote website was active in the last election, when some 6,000 participants agreed to swap their vote. It is expected that even more people will take part in the vote-swap process in the current election.
The group claims that its participants helped contribute to electoral victories in B.C. and Alberta.
To read the article on Canada AM’s site click here .
]]>By JAMIE LONG, OTTAWA SUN
Last Updated: April 13, 2011 5:54pm
Some worried Ottawa-area voters hope shipping their vote elsewhere will give their voice some clout.
Katya Duhamel, 31, said she has resorted to Vote Pair, a volunteer-run campaign that pairs Canadians so they can swap votes.
“I strongly believe that we need electoral reform in Canada and pair voting is a short term solution to our broken system,” said Duhamel. “I want to put the power back in my vote.”
She said she believes voting for the Green Party in her riding of Nepean-Carleton won’t make a difference because that’s where Conservative incumbent Pierre Pollievre seeks a fourth consecutive term.
Vote Pair made its debut in the 2008 federal election, with 6,000 people signing up and almost half of those finding a match for the swap, according to founder Gerry Kirk.
Jean Le Clerc, 36, is one of the new believers after catching on to Vote Pair a few weeks ago.
He said swapping his NDP vote with another riding may cure his feeling of helplessness in the Pontiac riding.
That’s where Lawrence Cannon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, is seeking term number three.
“I kept feeling that my vote didn’t count, it didn’t matter what I did,” said Le Clerc, who previously lived in Gatineau, where the Bloc Quebecois reigned supreme. “I got frustrated with that.”
But Kirk said the popular vote still didn’t represent Canadians well, so he once again wants to focus on swing ridings, where close races could be impacted by swapped votes.
Vote Pair reported one riding in Edmonton and another on Victoria Island were affected by the movement in 2008.
But Elections Canada is also warning voters to be cautious with their vote.
“Encouragement to vote in a particular way is not prohibited under the Canada Elections Act,” said Diane Benson, who reminded voters there is no guarantee a swap will be carried out and it can’t be verified.
“They (voters) might be subject to misrepresentation and people acting under multiple or different identities,” she said.
Duhamel argued there is communication between two swappers.
Le Clerc, a self-proclaimed avid voter, said he will live with the consequences, if there are any.
“At this point, I’m so fed up and disillusioned I’m willing to take that risk,” he said, admitting his girlfriend isn’t quite ready to trust others with her vote.
Click here to read the article on the Ottawa Sun page.
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Non-partisan, volunteer-run effort aims to highlight failings of our electoral system, provide a positive alternative for frustrated voters
APRIL 11, 2011 — Pair Vote ( http://pairvote.ca ) and other vote-swapping mechanisms were used by about 6000 voters in the 2008 federal election and likely had an impact on the outcomes of two contested federal ridings. Since the call for electoral reform grows ever-louder in Canada and is still being ignored by our leaders, Pair Vote is returning in 2011 with a goal of empowering twice as many voters and having a larger, measurable impact in the 41st federal election.
Vote swapping is an entirely legal mechanism whereby voters from different ridings agree to voluntarily “trade” votes in order to help get their preferred party represented in Parliament. It empowers voters by allowing them to ensure that a ballot is cast FOR their preferred party, which is a welcome alternative to strategic voting or voting against the party you fear most.
Details of who makes an excellent vote-swap candidate, how the systems works, online registration for interested vote-swappers, an FAQ, and voter testimonials are all available at http://www.pairvote.ca/
Pair Vote is a volunteer-run organization with no party affiliation. Its core members believe the time has come for electoral reform and that some element of proportional representation is desperately needed in Canada. Until such reform becomes a reality, however, vote swapping is an elegant and empowering alternative.
Pair Vote volunteers and participants are eager to share the benefits of vote swapping with Canadians, and welcome inquiries from the media on the rationale, trustworthiness, and potential impact of our campaign.
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Media contact:
Gerry Kirk
+1.906.379.0798
[email protected]