Update: A News Ottawa did a story on pair voting (see video), including our very own Kris Joseph and an awful shot of myself near the end. That aside, they reported something I hadn’t heard before, that tricking someone into voting for a particular candidate is an offence under the Elections Act:

The verdict is in; Elections Canada has concluded that online vote-swapping schemes aren’t illegal. James Hale, a spokesman for the federal agency, said that the simple act of encouraging someone to vote in a particular way is all right under the Canada Elections Act. It’s also permissible to invite people to participate in an organized strategic voting plan, whether on the Internet or by other means.

Nevertheless, they warn voters to be careful if they decide to participate for a number of reasons. One is that they could potentially be misled by someone acting under multiple or false identities to trick them into voting for a particular candidate. If such an act were to occur, Hale says the person who misled them would, be guilty of an offence under the Elections Act.

Nice to see Elections Canada finally made a decision on vote swapping.. Now no one needs to worry about legal issues. EC is right in pointing out that there is some risk involved – there is no guarantee that the person you pair with will carry out the vote swap. But, when your vote in your own riding has no chance at all, that’s an easy risk to take.

Canada’s electoral watchdog has deemed online vote-swapping to be legal but warned that the scheme could be used to dupe voters into casting their ballot for certain parties.

Elections Canada began looking into the issue after a Facebook group surfaced last week urging people living in ridings likely to have tight races to swap votes as a way to keep Stephen Harper’s Conservatives from winning a majority.

James Hale, a spokesman for the federal agency, said the act of encouraging someone to vote in a particular way is allowed under the Elections Act.

It’s also acceptable for people to invite voters to participate in an organized strategic voting plan, whether on the internet or through other means, he said.

But, he said, “electors should be cautious for a couple of reasons.”

Voters could potentially be misled by someone acting under a false identity who tricks them into voting a particular way, which would be an offence under the Elections Act.

Since people cast ballots alone in a voting booth, it is also difficult to verify whether they actually voted as promised.

Also, the agency warned, it is illegal for money or “material benefit” to pass hands as part of a voting arrangement.

“It’s not an offence to tell your friend you think they should vote in a certain way, and it’s not an offence to say ‘Yeah, I think that’s a great idea.’ It is an offence to accept money or to offer money for that,” said Hale.

Read the rest of the article.

The pair vote idea is growing faster than I ever imagined. What started as a personal attempt to raise awareness about voting reform has grown into a movement of people dissatisfied with the status quo.

We’re at a kairos moment. The words “voting reform” and “proportional representation” are popping up everywhere online. People are talking about it on the streets, and the media has latched onto the story.

I’m so thrilled the Internet has connected us, so quickly and so easily. 21st century technology to overcome an outdated 12th century voting system.

Alas, I’m just one person, doing what I can, on top of my day job and looking after a young family, trying to live Ghandi’s call to “be the change you want to see”. It’s time to open up something started by one person for the whole community to embrace.

Here is my workload, and where you can help:

1. Community outreach. We have a hot story to tell, and we need to encourage people to get engaged beyond the pair voting itself. Some people are asking how to promote the idea locally, so we could post some ideas on that, perhaps working closely with Fair Vote and their election materials.
2. Marketing and promotion. Lots to do to engage bloggers, Facebook ppl, media, etc. People are linking to the site, some for, some against. Adding comments to articles discussing strategic voting is working. There is a Pair Vote Facebook page and a Twitter account for sending out updates. I’m also getting media requests daily for interviews, and I have you all to thank for it. Anyone have artistic ability? Some banners would be nice that people can embed on their sites. Heck, I’d like a logo for the Pair Vote site too! You don’t want me to attempt that.
3. Technical stuff. Lots of software pieces to this operation, and time needed to manage them, prepare and analyze data. WordPress, Feedblitz, Google Maps, Google Spreadsheets, some PHP hacking are the current tools of the trade.
4. Content. Need more engaging, visual content on voting reform and the pair process. Interested in posting stories that illustrate the problems with current electoral system as they surface in the media. Two have been posted on the blog, need lots more.
5. Vote pairing process. Need to finalize exactly how this is going to work. I’ve got a plan, but can use some feedback. Need to get data on strategic voting ridings. Also concerns about phony registrants to think about.
6. Extra goodies like posting stats about registrants. I was playing last night with a Google map of where people have registered from. Would be interesting to display stats on # supporters per party, and the other parties they are willing to vote for, especially for the strategic / swing ridings.

To get more involved, email pairvote@gmail.com and let me know what interests you. I’m more interested in a willingness to participate than in ability or experience. Heck, I’m learning lots on-the-job, and so can you.

Working at the home office

Yours for a strong democracy,
Gerry Kirk