Municipal Elections Opening Discussion Have you ever voted for something before How was the winner decided Did you think the process was fair Elections Elections are contests of leadership ideas power and politics ID: 538002
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Slide1
Elementary PowerPoint 3:
Municipal ElectionsSlide2
Opening Discussion
Have you ever voted for something before?
How was the winner decided?
Did you think the process was fair? Slide3
Elections
Elections are contests of leadership, ideas, power and politics.
An
electoral system
or voting system
is the method of choosing our politicians.
Voting systems differ based on the way candidates are
presented on a ballot and
the process for
determining
who wins. Slide4
First-Past-the-Post
First-Past-The-Post (FPTP)
is the voting system currently used across Canada and for municipal and school board elections in Saskatchewan.
The winning candidate must
receive the most
votes.Slide5
Example of First-Past-The-Post
CANDIDATE
NUMBER OF VOTES
Thomas 340 Lisa 401 Mohamed 155
Emma 191Question:
Only one candidate is elected in the race. Which candidate is the winner?Slide6
The Municipal Election Process
Chair of the Council
:
Mayors
and reeves are all elected at large (by all eligible voters in the municipality
).Reeves are only elected in rural municipalities.
Question: Does your municipality have a mayor or a reeve?Slide7
The Municipal Election Process
Councillors
:
E
lected at large or by a ward or division system
.In a ward/division system, the municipality is broken down into smaller geographic areas that vote for their own representatives.
Questions: How many councillors are elected in your municipality? How are they elected?Slide8
Municipal Election Dates
Municipal elections in Saskatchewan are held for
each office
every four years
. Urban municipalities and northern municipalities will hold elections on
October 26, 2016. Resort villages held elections on
July 30, 2016. Rural municipalities have a staggered approach where they
hold elections
for selected divisions
every two
years. Each councillor holds office for a four year term.Elections for
reeves and councillors representing odd-numbered divisions
will be held on
October 26,
2016
.
E
lections for
councillors representing
even-numbered divisions
are scheduled
for
October 24, 2018
.Slide9
One Member or Multiple Members
In
single-member races
, only one candidate is elected.
For example, such as in the case of a race for mayor/reeve or a council race where only one person is selected to represent one ward/division. In multi-member races
, voters elect more than one representative. For example, six councillors may be elected at large for the entire community. Under each election type, voters mark their ballots for as many candidates as there are seats up for contest (i.e., six choices if six candidates are elected at large).
Slide10
Candidates
A
candidate
is an individual who competes for the job of elected representative.
Candidates campaign during elections to share their ideas and try to convince
community members to vote for them.There
are no political parties (i.e., Liberals, NDP) at the municipal level in
Saskatchewan.
The
council candidates
still have campaign strategies and a list of goals for the community, but they work as independent politicians
.Slide11
Discussion
Would you ever be a candidate and run for election?
How would you share your message and convince others to vote for you?
How can you find out more about how the council is elected in your community?Slide12
How does someone run for election?
In order to run as a municipal election
candidate
in Saskatchewan, you must be:
At least 18 years of age on election day;A Canadian citizen;A Saskatchewan resident for the past six months;Not disqualified from being nominated by the
Local Government Elections Act or any other Act. Slide13
Getting to know the Candidates
There are many ways to learn about your local candidates:
Traditional media sources (radio, TV, newspaper and magazines)
Social media (websites, Twitter, Facebook)
Candidate debates or town hall
meetingsCampaign offices and events, door-to-door canvassingDiscussion with family and friendsSlide14
Final Thoughts
How should you compare and evaluate candidates?
What qualities and skills do you expect from politicians?
What local issues are important to you?
What else do you want to know or research before making your decision?