[fvc-wat-disc] Basic Canvassing Script

[Brian Tanguay]

Very nicely done, Ari. 

I'm trying to remain kind and reassuring, believe me. But with some of the stuff being said and written this week, it's getting much more difficult to maintain that posture! Ah well, nobody said this would be easy.

Cheers,
Brian

>>> adaigen at sympatico.ca 9/18/2007 1:29:05 AM >>>
Hey,

I like this script--it hits at the meat of the issue, which is that this 
system will actually elect the governments that people voted for.

This may seem obvious, but just to be sure, let's all ready to meet some of 
the following concerns.  Not that we'll sway the hard core opposition, but I 
think a lot of people are just afraid and could be convinced by good reason. 
(I think a lot of this may also be at voteformmp.com, so apologies to 
everyone who would already have known what to say.):

They say: "I don't want to lose local representation."
You say: "Under MMP you'll still have a local representative. And in a way 
you have more local representation, since you can vote for a local candidate 
you like even if you don't like his or her party."

They say: "I'm afraid we'll have permanent minorities and elections every 
year."
You say: "Actually, parties cooperate to make stable minority governments in 
a lot of countries, like Germany and Ireland. And the parties having to work 
together will mean legislation that represents more people's views."

They say: "Our system has stood the test of time, why change it?"
You say: "Actually, it hasn't stood the test of time so well--almost all 
first-world countries have switched to some form of proportional voting.  
They see that it's fairer, and it would be fairer here too."

They say: "I vote Liberal, so the FPTP system works for me."
You say: "Actually, it worked against the Liberals for three straight 
elections. PC and NDP got majorities with 45% and 38% of the vote." and/or 
"Under the current system a lot of Liberal votes are wasted too--if you're 
in a riding that always goes conservative, your vote doesn't matter--but it 
will under MMP." (That could be particularly relevant for those canvassing 
in Kitchener-Waterloo.)

They say: "I vote PC, so first-past-the-post works for me."
You say: "Actually, the current system hurt the PC in the last 
election--under MMP it would have more seats. And the current system gave 
the Liberals a majority with 46% of the vote--and back in 1990, it gave the 
NDP a majority with 38% of the vote." And/or "Under the current system a lot 
of Conservative votes are wasted too--PC votes in Liberal or NDP ridings 
don't matter, but they will under MMP."

They say: "I don't want unelected Members of Parliament chosen by party 
leaders."
You say: "Actually, they would be elected--they would be in Parliament 
because their party got a certain amount of votes. (And you would know 
beforehand who they would be, since each party would have its list ready 
before the election. So if you don't like the people on a party's list, you 
can vote against it.)


I hope that's not too long or too obvious--I just wanted to give some snappy 
answers to questions that will no doubt come up. If we can answer them 
kindly, reassuringly, and intelligently, I think we can be very effective.

Best wishes,

Ari

>From: "Joshua Smyth" <smyth.josh at gmail.com>
>Reply-To: FVC Waterloo Region Discussion 
><fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org>
>To: "FVC Waterloo Region Discussion" <fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org>
>Subject: [fvc-wat-disc] Basic Canvassing Script
>Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:24:53 -0400
>
>Here's the text of a basic script for door-to-door work. This is just
>a quick job, so anyone feel free to edit it and bounce it back to the
>list. Cheers
>
>Vote for MMP * Quick Script
>
>
>Hi there, I'm (blank) representing the Vote for MMP Campaign.  Have
>you heard about the referendum on October 10th?
>
>You'll have a chance to choose how you elect members to the Provincial
>Legislature between the system we have right now, and a new system
>called Mixed Member Proportional that has been recommended by the
>Ontario Citizen's assembly.
>
>The Citizens Assembly is a group of people that chosen at random (like
>a jury), one person for each riding, that spent eight months getting
>educated and having public consultations about possible changes to the
>electoral system. At the end of this process, they recommended that
>Ontario adopt a new system that offers more choice, fairer results,
>and stronger representation.
>
>Here's how the new system will work. When you go to the polls, you'll
>get two votes. One will be for a local riding representative, just
>like you have now. On the other side of the ballot, you can vote for
>the party of your choice. In an election under the new system, there
>will be 129 seats up for election. 90 of them will be riding seats,
>just like we have now. The other 39 seats will be proportional seats,
>that will be used to bring a party's share of the legislature as close
>as possible  to their share of the party vote. If a party gets 35% of
>the vote but only 30 % of the seats from ridings, they will be
>allocated seats from the proportional section to get them as closes as
>possible to 35% of the seats. This will be a big change from the
>system we have now * the Liberals got 46% of the vote, 70% of the
>seats, and 100% of the power in the last election, and the results
>were very similar for the PC and NDP before them.  That is neither
>fair nor representative of what the people of Ontario voted for.
>
>As well, under the current system, if you vote for a party that
>doesn't win locally, your vote is essentially wasted * no one goes to
>parliament to represent your views. The new system would change that:
>even if the local candidate you prefer doesn't win, your party vote
>would work to electing MPPs from the party of your choice. No wasted
>votes. It also means that if you like a local candidate, but don't
>like his/her party, you can split your vote and still have your views
>represented.
>
>If you have any questions, feel free to give this brochure a look
>over, or check out the websites listed on it. This is a
>once-in-a-lifetime chance to change the way politics works in Ontario,
>so on election day be sure to vote for the Alternative Electoral
>System proposed by the citizens assembly  -  if it passes, your voice
>will be heard much more clearly from now on. Thanks for your time.
>_______________________________________________
>fvc-wat-disc mailing list
>fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org 
>http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc 


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