Hamilton councillors say ‘no’ to adopting rank balloting

Hamilton won’t be joining some Ontario municipalities to implement a different voting system for the next municipal election.

In somewhat of a surprise result, councillors voted 8-7 against having staff studying the feasibility of implementing a rank voting system in time for Hamilton’s 2022 municipal election.

Flamborough Coun. Judi Partridge was absent for the vote.

Mountain Coun. Tom Jackson, who was against adopting a new voting system, said the city’s first-past-the-post system, where the winner is the candidate that collects the most votes, is easy to understand and remains the best method to elect politicians.

A ranked ballot system is designed to produce winners with an absolute majority of the vote by dropping low vote-getters on successive ballots andre dist rib Proponents uting their support among the remaining candidates.

Jackson said implementing another system will cost additional taxpayer money.

Mountain Coun. Terry Whitehead said despite proponents’ claim that it will create a more civil political discourse, ranked voting, where people identify candidates on a preferential basis, creates just as much animosity during a campaign as the current system allows.

He said studies suggest ranked balloting may also be less democratic by not counting all the ballots.

“We need to research it to have a better understanding,” he said.

Stoney Creek Coun. Brad Clark said he didn’t believe changing the city’s election system was high on residents’ minds during the last campaign.

Not one person he talked to about local issues during the fall election mentioned changing the voting system, he said.

said ranked balloting will allow a fuller democratic process for voters and will produce a winner with a majority of votes.

Cameron Kroetsch, who ran for councillor in Ward 2 against incumbent Jason Farr in last fall’s election, told councillors ranked balloting isn’t a new concept.

Other countries, and even some municipalities across North America, are using it.

“This is not wild or new,” he said.

Farr, who campaigned on introducing a motion to study ranked balloting, said the benefits include eliminating vote splitting and that other communities use the voting system.

Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla agreed ranked balloting should be examined.

“Negative campaigning has become so toxic,” he said.

“The average person detests negative campaigning.”