Latest news with #electoral reform
National Post
a day ago
- Politics
- National Post
Pierre Poilievre draws cheers and criticism at Alberta byelection debate
Pierre Poilievre was greeted with cheers and applause by the hundreds of Albertans who showed up to watch a two-and-a-half-hour political debate on a sunny Tuesday evening in July. Article content The Camrose and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidates' forum featuring 10 of the people who are vying to represent Battle River—Crowfoot in the Aug. 18 byelection. Article content Damien Kurek won more than 82 per cent of the vote in the April election. He resigned to allow Poilievre, who lost his own seat in the Ottawa riding of Carleton, the chance to return to the House of Commons in the fall. Article content Article content A crowd of Poilievre's supporters was outside the venue before things got underway, many carrying signs with his name. Inside, the signs had to be put away. Article content The moderator kept a tight schedule, cutting off the microphones of anyone who ran over their allotted time as the candidates answered a range of questions submitted by the public about the economy, health care privatization, electoral reform and immigration. Article content The candidates seated at a long table on a stage occasionally took aim at Poilievre, particularly for the fact that he does not live in the riding and is running to progress his political career. Article content Liberal candidate Darcy Spady introduced himself by saying, 'I'm from Three Hills, and I don't want to be prime minister' — a line that elicited chuckles from the crowd and from Poilievre when he repeated it. Article content Article content Spady said he wanted to bring local issues to the government caucus and give an electorate that has historically voted Conservative the option of voting in a centrist. Article content 'I'd like to grow the culture so the next generation can say, 'Oh, we can choose a Liberal, a Conservative, a moderate, a NDP,' he said in an interview after the debate. Article content 'The stigma of only voting to the right here, in my home, all my life… I don't like that.' Article content Poilievre argued that electing the leader of a political party is a trade-off — leaders are on the road much of the time, he said. 'The other side, though, is that leader can bring a very powerful megaphone to the local issues of the community,' he added.
Free Malaysia Today
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
What happened to electoral reform proposals, asks MP
Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah said a fair and credible election process is a fundamental civil and political right. KUALA LUMPUR : An opposition MP has urged the government to clarify the status of recommendations to improve the electoral process proposed by the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC). Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota) said the ERC, chaired by former Election Commission (EC) chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, was established in August 2018 in response to growing public distrust in the country's electoral system. He said the committee was given two years to review the system, compare it with practices in advanced democracies, consult experts, conduct engagement sessions and research, and propose legislative reforms. 'I understand the committee submitted its final report to the government upon completing its mandate. 'So, what is the status of that report? How many recommendations were made and what actions were taken by the government?' he asked during the debate on the 2023 Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) report in the Dewan Rakyat. In August 2020, the ERC submitted 49 recommendations to improve the electoral system to the then government led by Muhyiddin Yassin. According to the ERC, the implementation of its proposed reforms would take between three and 10 years, if accepted. Key recommendations included strengthening the EC's powers as an independent regulator of political parties, the establishment of an electoral boundary commission, and setting fixed dates for the dissolution of Parliament and state assemblies – six months ahead of their actual expiry. Saifuddin, who is also a member of Bersatu's Supreme Council, said a fair and credible election process is a fundamental civil and political right. 'Elections are the most crucial component of a functioning democracy, one that ultimately serves the people. 'Such a democracy must uphold five key principles of elections – freedom, transparency, integrity, efficiency and fairness.'
CBC
18-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Upcoming Alberta byelection set to break record for most candidates on single ballot
Next month's byelection in Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot will break the record for the most candidates on a federal ballot in Canadian history. As of Friday, 102 candidates — mostly associated with a group of electoral reform advocates known as the Long Ballot Committee — have registered to run for the seat. The byelection was called after its recently re-elected MP, Damien Kurek, resigned to allow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run for a new seat in the House of Commons. Poilievre lost in his longtime riding of Carleton in April. The Longest Ballot Committee has been organizing dozens of candidates to run in byelections in recent years, resulting in metre-long ballots that have caused delays in vote counting and confounded some voters. The group wants to put a citizens' assembly in charge of electoral reform and says political parties are too reluctant to make the government more representative of the electorate. The previous record of 91 candidates occurred twice in the past year: during a byelection in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun last September and Carleton during the general election this past spring. The Longest Ballot Committee says it is aiming to sign up 200 candidates in Battle River-Crowfoot. The deadline to register as a candidate is July 28.
France 24
18-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Tomorrowland festival begins days after fire destroyed main stage
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The Independent
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
What happened the last time a Labour government opted to lower the voting age?
Grappling with economic difficulties including rising prices at a time of accelerated social change and growing concerns about immigration, Harold Wilson's Labour government introduced legislation to lower the voting age. The Representation of the People Act 1969 was a major milestone in the development of modern democracy, as the UK became the first country to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. The Act triggered change elsewhere as other democracies soon followed suit. The economic and social conditions in the late 60s have clear parallels with those facing the current Labour Government, while the announcement of its intention to lower the voting age to 16 has been described as the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969. Sir Keir Starmer said it was 'important' to lower the voting age, as 16-year-olds were old enough to work and 'pay in' through tax, so should 'have the opportunity' to say how they wanted their money spent. Polling suggests Labour stand to gain the most from reform, with 33% of 16 and 17-year-olds polled by ITV news saying they would back the party, while 20% said they would choose Reform UK and 18% the Greens. Therefore, while ministers will not accept that electoral advantage is a motivating factor for the changes, some opponents may argue that this is the case. Some historians suggest an expectation of a boost in vote share was not a factor in decision making within Harold Wilson's administration at the time. This, it is claimed, was because the voting intentions of younger people were far from clear. But in his history of the Labour Party, Andrew Thorpe claimed the lowering of the voting age was 'less a principled commitment to young people than a piece of gerrymandering based on the assumption that young people were more likely to vote Labour than Conservative'. While today some argue that lowering the voting age will counter political apathy or disenchantment among the young, research by the University of Huddersfield found no evidence that this fuelled demands for reform in the 1960s. It highlighted that there was no significant difference in turnout between young and older voters prior to the 1969 Act, with large numbers of young people joining youth organisations linked with the main political parties. However, amid contemporary concerns about radicalisation, the push for voting at 18 in the 1960s has been linked in part to growing concern that social alienation among the young could lead to 'widespread antidemocratic embrace of either far-left or nationalist causes'. The path to reform was set when the government in 1965 announced that a committee chaired by Justice John Latey would examine at what age individuals are considered an adult. Published in 1967, the committee concluded that young people aged 18 should have adult rights, including owning property and being able to marry without the consent of their parents. The report said: 'This Committee is convinced that we must ensure that the young go out into the world as fully prepared for their adult responsibilities as possible, and that in giving them adult status at 18 we are doing no more than recognising the simple facts.' Some in Harold Wilson's cabinet were against reform, but the matter was resolved in favour of change and the government published a white paper. Some of the subsequent arguments against reform at the time were said to focus on what can be considered the appropriate age of 'maturity' and contained 'assertions over the extent to which young people were competent, sentient humans, capable of voting', according to the University of Huddersfield research. However, advocates at the time echoed arguments regularly heard today under the principle of 'no taxation without representation'. Conservatives repeatedly requested a free vote on the issue, but the Labour government – with an overall majority of 67 – whipped its MPs, suggesting a nervousness over the depth of commitment to reform. The Representation of the People Bill passed into law in July 1969, but by the following year the Labour Party had lost a total of 16 seats in by-elections. The economy was showing signs of improvement, boosting Labour's standing in the polls and prompting Mr Wilson to call a general election. But, in what many observers considered a surprise result, Labour was defeated by the Conservatives led by Edward Heath. In the context of arguments then and now about political engagement and lowering the voting age, it is notable that the 72% turnout at the election was the lowest since 1955. Census data suggested that although about 800,000 newly-enfranchised 18 to 20-year-olds were due to be added to the electoral register for the general election, only 464,000 were actually registered. Lowering the voting age was also considered under the last Labour government led by Tony Blair and later Gordon Brown. Neither leader formally declared a commitment to enfranchising 16-year-olds, but the issue was debated in Parliament and supported by some Labour MPs. However, there was not widespread cross-party backing for reform at the time, with many Conservatives either opposed or unenthusiastic about reform, raising the prospect of legislation facing a difficult passage through Parliament. Competing policy priorities have also been cited as a factor in electoral reform being sidelined, with issues such as constitutional reform, health and the economy taking up political bandwidth. Historians have also referenced concerns over potential controversy due to doubts over public support, while the lack of a prominent campaign for change is said to have prevented votes at 16 gaining momentum.
