Myths, damn myths, and voting system change

Abstract

“Myths, Damn Myths, and Voting System Change” argues that the debate over voting system reform in Canada is all wrong—and that political scientists must bear most of the blame. Academics have framed the debate on the issue as a kind of popularity contest, one where the public is encouraged to take sides on the basis of the values they prefer their institutions embody. They claim that different voting systems reflect value tradeoffs on issues like simplicity, stability, local representation, and accountability. But these are myths. This essay examines each of these claims as well as arguments that insist referenda should be required to effect change, and finds that all lack compelling evidence. By contrast, “Myths, Damn Myths, and Voting System Change” argues that voting system reform is really an attempt to apply democratic values of inclusion, equality, and equity to Canadian electoral institutions, and offers a sounder, historically informed, evidence-based way to do it.