Facebook MMP Ontario Groups - Yes vs No

I did a count tonight of the number of Ontario MMP groups, either for or against MMP. There were 29 Yes groups, with a total of 7580 members, and there were 17 No groups with a total of 2098 members.

Comparing percentages, thats 78% for MMP and 22% against.

The fact that all the parties (Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Green) have all come out and said that their processes for choosing the List candidates will be open, transparent and democratic, should go a long way to convince a lot of doubters that MMP is the better way. These lists will also be made public well before the election, so voters can see who would get seats if the lists are used.

One of the No side's big arguments has been that these List candidates would be appointed. As we can see, not only will they be elected within the party, just as local candidates are, but they will also be elected by the public on election day.

And, as for who these List (or At-Large) candidates are accountable to, here is an excerpt from the Vote For MMP web site:

An at-large MPP represents every voter in Ontario who voted for that particular party. Under the current voting system, more than two million Ontario voters routinely cast votes that elect no one. Under the new system, these at-large MMPs ensure that every voter helps elect someone who is directly accountable to them.

Typically, at-large MPPs will open constituency offices in their own region to provide an alternative to the riding MPPs from other parties. In others words, voters in a region could choose to contact their riding MPP or an at-large MPP from their own party to help with problems or discuss issues.

Some at-large MPPs may also have strong skills or expertise in a particular policy area and focus on legislative committee work. Others may focus on serving particular groups of Ontarians who are not concentrated in any one riding or region.

In summary, the mixed-member proportional voting system gives voters stronger and better representation than we have now, by providing us with both local MPPs and at-large MPPs.