The promise for federal electoral reform is nothing new to Canadian voters. For years, federal candidates have alluded to possible changes within the voting system to allow for superior alternatives to the broken ‘first past the post’ system. Unfortunately, while many have promised bona fide change, ‘first past the post’ has yet to be replaced. The way in which the electoral system impacts how the government operates is uncanny and can have a tremendous impact on democracy within the Nation, which is why choosing the best alternative is crucial. This is one of the many reasons that candidates pledge for electoral reform to gain attraction, but rarely uphold their promises once elected. In a sense, and not to sound clique, politicians see ‘first past the post’ as the devil …show more content…
Although ‘first past the post’ is simple to navigate for not only politicians but also voters, electoral reform is crucial for democratic growth within Canada. One viable option for electoral reform that currently functions for both Ireland and Australian senate, is the Single Transferable Vote (or STV) system (Westlake 2018). Yet while STV provides more democratic and proportional results, there are reasons it has not been formally adopted and considered for federal politics in Canada, and other voting systems should be prioritized over the popular STV. Single transferable vote (STV) is exponentially different from how ‘first past the vote’ system works and would be difficult to intergrade into Canadian political culture. To better understand how STV is practiced, one must first dissect how the system operates. STV functions on three basic principals that can be applied to all electoral systems: electoral formula, district magnitude, and ballot structure (Farrell 2011, 119) The electoral formula of STV is composed of proportional representation that allows political parties to run as many candidates as there are seats available in a riding. This