<html><head></head><body lang="en-US" link="blue" vlink="purple" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: initial;"> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Hi John. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I'm not sure about others, but I choose to use the term "wasted vote" for a deliberate purpose. I use it for any potential shocking effect it might have on the reader/listener, and I always follow it with brackets stating something like: (the ballot was cast, but did not contribute to electing anyone to office) to explain what I mean by "wasted vote". </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I've heard others advance the theory that no vote is wasted, but I find I'm not interested in pursuing that theory as I worry that the opponents of PR will simply use it as a way to justify their satisfaction with the status quo. I would not want to feed their addiction to FPTP.</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">My vote in 2015 was one of the more than 9 Million "wasted votes", so I am taking it personally that the person I chose to support was beaten by someone I was opposed to, so I am effectively without representation in Parliament (at least from my riding - and it appears from most other ridings as well, particularly since all the Liberal MPs have betrayed those of us who were voting for the concept of electoral reform). </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I'm from the older generation, many of whom will continue to exercise the civic responsibility to vote, even if my choice doesn't win. But many others are discouraged from voting because they do not expect their vote will actually affect the outcome. Consequently, I believe we need to stick with identifying such votes as wasted, in order to advance our cause "to make every vote count". (Otherwise that phrase is pointless.)</div> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sincerely. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Stu Chandler. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div> <div style="font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Rogers network.</div> <table width="100%" style="background-color:white;border-spacing:0px;"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; font-family: Tahoma, 'BB Alpha Sans', 'Slate Pro'; font-size: 10pt;"> <div><b>From: </b>John Cooper</div><div><b>Sent: </b>Monday, February 27, 2017 5:55 PM</div><div><b>To: </b>'FVC Waterloo Region Discussion'</div><div><b>Reply To: </b>FVC Waterloo Region Discussion</div><div><b>Subject: </b>Re: [fvc-wat-disc] Total ballots ...</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(186, 188, 209); border-top-width: 1pt; font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><br><div id="_originalContent" style=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">in a democracy (whatever that is) , no vote is a ‘wasted vote’. Everyone who meets the criteria has a right – and a duty as a citizen - to vote.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">It’s only wasted if you did not vote according to your principles and values for the person or party who shares those with you or you did not vote at all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">There’s a difference between a ‘wasted vote’ and a ‘principled vote’.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">The real issue is whether the person elected receives more than a simple plurality of votes over the other candidates.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Is that democracy?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">The people who voted for the ‘winners’ and are not happy with the decisions of those ‘winners’ after they gained power – those are wasted votes<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">because you did not vote according to your principles. You got ‘sucked in’ by the promises of liars.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> fvc-wat-disc [mailto:fvc-wat-disc-bounces@listserv.thinkers.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Eleanor Grant<br><b>Sent:</b> February-27-17 5:08 PM<br><b>To:</b> fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [fvc-wat-disc] Total ballots ...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt">Hi Fair Voters - <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt">These are the numbers that Jenn found for me on Feb 9.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Results of 2015 Oct 19 election:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">35,749,600 - Population of Canada<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">25,638,379 - Eligible Voters<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">17,559,353 - Ballots cast<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> 8,214,532 - Effective votes<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> 9,106,926 - "Wasted" votes, elected no one.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">I noticed the numbers don't add up;<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">237,895 votes are unaccounted for.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Would there be that many spoiled ballots across the country?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">But even if all of these were added to the effective votes, they're still far outnumbered by the votes which elected no one. That's scandalous.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Eleanor <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div><br><!--end of _originalContent --></div></body></html>