So far, you've read election story after election story, all centering on faith-based school funding, taxes, promises unkept, strategies that backfired and more. But few have been paying attention to that other ballot you'll be filling out on Wednesday - the one to decide how you'll mark your next one.
Some critics have been very vocal in their condemnation of
Elections Ontario, which they feel hasn't done enough to remind voters they'll be making their mark not only for the candidate of their choice but also for a referendum to choose which system citizens want to use in the future.
The proposed new system promises to be fairer to the parties that often get a certain percentage of the popular vote but never come away with any seats.
Under the current method (called
first-past-the-post, a horse racing term), whoever gets the most votes wins a seat at Queen's Park.
The change proposes something called
Mixed Member Proportional representation, or MMP. It means you'd be able to vote for a candidate as you normally do, as well as the party of your choice. The winner of the first contest still gets to go to Queen's Park, but the winners of the second part of the equation get to choose members from a list depending on how many votes each party attracted, and they'll get seats and a voice, too. That will bring the total number of reps at the Legislature to 129 from the current 107.
The process has proven confusing to some who've studied it - and many people still aren't even aware it's happening at all. If you feel lost by all this 'refer' madness, you're not alone. Many voters complains they're simply not aware of what it's all about.
"I have no idea," admits one.
"I need more information," agrees another.
"You want to enlighten me?" a third responds. "Very confusing, I think."
Proponents argue it will allow an overall electoral system that's fairer than the one we have now, allowing what are now considered fringe parties a voice and more accurately reflecting the will of the voters. "If people understood MMP, they'd vote for it," believes Judy Rebick, one of those endorsing it. "It's a really good proposal. It will improve democracy, and I'm hoping people realize that in the last day."
Opponents say it will add more politicians, complete with taxpayer-financed salaries, extra staff and more red tape, and give too many extreme parties a say in what happens in Ontario.
But not everyone will get in. "Definitely there will be more parties, more smaller parties in the Legislature," agrees
Daniel Rubenson, an associate professor at Ryerson University. "There is still a threshold by which a party needs to get three per cent of the popular vote in order to get a list seat. So not just any kind of small party will be able to get in."
Still no matter what side they're on, there is one thing all those involved seem to agree with. "I think Elections Ontario did a just terrible job of informing citizens about the referendum," Rebick muses. That opinion is prevalent, even though the taxpayer funded organization spent a whopping $6.8 million on messages, ads, flyers and a website trying to get your attention. But many believe that like the last referendum held more than 80 years ago, this one should have been conducted separately from the actual election itself.
"To give people a better chance to follow the issue more and to just focus on this as opposed to following all of the issues in the election and following the referendum," complains one troubled voter.
To help you get over that problem, here's a preview of what you'll see on that ballot Wednesday:
The Question
It will read, "Which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?"
Option 1: The existing electoral system.
Option 2: The alternate electoral system proposed by the Citizens Assembly.
How will this be decided?
If 50 per cent of the voters in 64 electoral districts vote for Mixed Member Proportional and at least 60 per cent of all the referendum ballots across the province choose the alternative system, the MMP will elect your MPPs in the future. Queen's Park would have until the end of December 2008 to pass a law putting the new system in place.
Still confused? Here are some resources you can use to help explain things further.
How the system will work
Elections Ontario Interactive Video
FAQ