On April 1, the Ontario Provincial Citizens Assembly chose the Mixed Member Proportional Voting System, for future Ontario provincial elections. The voters will vote on this system on October 10, 1997.
Under the Mixed Member Proportional system, Ontario would have a 129-seat legislature with 90 district seats and 39 at-large (list) seats. Voters would cast two votes, one for a preferred party and one for a preferred local candidate. If a party deserves more seats than those won in districts, it would receive additional at-large seats. In advance of the election, the party would have nominated not only its district candidates, but its list of at-large candidates. If a party’s vote share is such that it deserves some at-large seats, the particular candidates elected to at-large seats would be taken from the party’s predetermined list of at-large candidates. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.
I live in New Zealand which, since 1996, has used a proportional voting system very similar to what has been recommended for use in Ontario. The system works well. Every vote counts toward representation provided the party it was cast for gains at least 5% of the total national vote, at which point they become entitled to the same percentage of seats as their share of the vote. I grew up under winner take all and I would NEVER go back to it. Winner take all is the democratic stone age compared to a proportional system.