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In April, an independent assembly of citizens set up by the Ontario government voted overwhelmingly to have a referendum on replacing the current first-past-the-post election system with a "made-in-Ontario" proportional representation system modelled on those used in Germany and New Zealand.
The referendum — the first in Ontario since 1924 — asks the electorate to choose between the status quo and a new system called mixed member proportional representation (MMP).
The MMP system — which the citizens' assembly recommended after seven months of study and consultation — would ensure that each party's share of seats in the legislature would be roughly equal to its share of the popular vote.
To be approved in this referendum, the new system must get the support of at least 60 per cent of voters province-wide, and it must also be approved by the majority of electors in at least 60 per cent of all ridings — a high threshold criticized by proponents of MMP who argue the vote is stacked against reform.
Ontario's Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Loren Wells
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So how exactly will the referendum work? What are the other groundrules and requirements?
We are very pleased that Ontario Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Loren A. Wells was online now earlier today to answer those questions.
Your questions and Ms. Wells's answers appear at the bottom of this page.
Loren Wells, the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario, has an extensive background in election administration in Canada, at both the federal and provincial levels.
At Elections Ontario, she deputizes for the Chief Electoral Officer and assists him with the administration of all aspects of the electoral process, including voter registration, the conduct of voting, the training of election officials and providing voter education and information to the public.
Although this is the first province-wide referendum that Ms. Wells has worked on in Ontario, she has been involved in the administration of 10 provincial general elections.
Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question. Questions may be edited for length, clarity or relevance. HTML is not allowed. We will not publish questions that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
Jim Sheppard, Executive Editor, globeandmail.com: To our readers: May I also just add these words of explanation and caution. By law, neither Ms. Wells nor other employees of Elections Ontario can take a position on the merits of the question on the referendum ballot. We will not forward to her any question that asks her to do that. Ms. Wells can answer your questions about the background to the referendum, the question, the mechanics of voting on it, the requirements for passage etc.
Jim Sheppard, Executive Editor, globeandmail.com: Good afternoon, Ms. Wells, and thanks for joining us today to take questions from the readers of globeandmail.com.
Before we get to the reader questions, perhaps you can start by elaborating on how this referendum question got on the ballot in the first place?
Loren Wells, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer: Thank you very much for inviting me to be part of this discussion today.
In June 2005, the Ontario Legislative Assembly began a process to review electoral systems.
In March 2006, the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform was created. The Citizens' Assembly was an independent body and its members were selected randomly, one from each of Ontario's then-103 electoral districts, with an appointed Chair who was the 104th member.
It was the Assembly's mandate to examine and evaluate Ontario's current electoral system, First-Past-the-Post, as well as numerous different electoral systems and to recommend whether the people of Ontario might wish to consider an alternative electoral system.
The work of the Assembly began in September, 2006. If they made such a recommendation, a referendum was to follow.
On May 15, 2007, the Citizens' Assembly presented a final report, recommending that the people of Ontario consider the adoption of an alternative electoral system, Mixed Member Proportional.
The MMP system proposed by the Citizens' Assembly is similar to the electoral system in use in places such as Scotland and New Zealand.
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