CRYING FOR ELECTION REFORM: A THEME OF POLITICAL

• Main Author: Binoy Shanker Prasad
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: Newfoundland; Canada
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.546.7466; http://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2009/prasad.pdf

Canada and India have a serious electoral problem of the First Past the Post (FPP) system. In a parliamentary riding (called constituency in India), the winner A has less than 50 % of the votes polled. Or, many a time, the runners up B and C had more votes combined than the winner A. The phenomenon – “B + C> A ”-- is formidable. The flaw in the electoral system transforms the elected body into an unrepresentative assembly. A large number of voters feel disenfranchised and they tend to feel their votes did not count. The voters ’ apathy leads to further diminished participation in elections. In 2008, only 58.9 % voters exercised their franchise in Canada (“Voter turnout drops to record low. ” www.cbc.ca / October 15, 2008). The highest voter turnout was in P.E.I., where 69.5 per cent of registered voters took part in the election. The lowest turnout was recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador, where just 48.1 % of registered voters cast their ballots. In India, the voters ’ participation ranges from 40-60%. THE MALADY In 1983 parliamentary election, the conservatives in Canada received the highest