33 replies to this topic

[Ginger Snap]

THe final list of candidates for both Mayor and COuncil are here:

http://www.victoria....clrd_081010.pdf

Quite the list... 8 for Mayor and 35 for Council by my count. Looks like Simon Natrass threw his hat in the Council ring after all.

[mat]

Thanks Ginger Snap - caramia will be posting final lists in the election forum stickies as soon as they come in. I wonder if that is a record number of candidates for Victoria council.

[Ginger Snap]

Oops, I guess I jumped the gun posting this!
Not sure if it is a record, but the most we have had in the last few elections certainly.

[Caramia]

That's great Ginger Snap! Thanks! I will use your list as a reference tomorrow when I sit down to revise the sticky!

[VicHockeyFan]

Not all of that means the City of Victoria. For example Hayden Ct, is Saanich.

2519 Orchard is Oak Bay.

[Ginger Snap]

They may not all live in the City of Victoria, but they are all candidates for City of Victoria. I am such a keener, I have already gone through the list three or four times trying to figure out which 8 I will vote for.

[ted - 3 - dots]

They may not all live in the City of Victoria, but they are all candidates for City of Victoria. I am such a keener, I have already gone through the list three or four times trying to figure out which 8 I will vote for.

------ First ----------

at least the list is final buddy.



;{-


.
.
.

----- Now comes the hard part -----

where those of us who actually talk about it ,
bother to vote ....!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh ya ,

and the work get's harder ,,,,,,,,,
the more you bother to get involved ...!


--------- 8 Mayor candidates -------

35 council want to be's .....?


( Isn't that some kind of modern record ...? )


:{-



doh ...!


( a 24% voter turn-out's can change everything )


---- so maybe VV can make some kind of rule

"shut-up" if your not going to bother to vote ...!


ted... ( I'll vote right now if I had to )

heck I'll vote for anything ,
if not against it ...!


perhaps I'll just spoil the ballot ...


( does 24% of all possible ballot's really mean anything )


>>> other than exercise for your futility <<<


an exer-sizum of our political demonds ...?


ted...

[Sara]

There may be a message in there somewhere but damned if I'm going to bother scrolling through it all.

35 candidates; one hour-long All Candidates meetings means, what? 20 seconds per candidate?

[ted - 3 - dots]

Ted 3 dots.....

you are a sad little man

VV should have a new rule that shuts you up!

--- it's an old rule -----

and I'm sorry you don't like my opinion's .

but I'm not here for you , am I ...!

;{-


I'm here to talk about issue's effecting our city .


( seriously )

can you supply me with some evidence that I am sad ,
rather than your simple suggestion ...?


--- even better ,

can't we just stay on topic ...?


--- 8 candidates for Mayor of Victoria ,
35 for city council ...!



so what's sad about that ...?
a 24% voter turn-out ...?


ted... (confused by your response )

[ted - 3 - dots]

35 candidates; one hour-long All Candidates meetings means, what? 20 seconds per candidate?

--- no it doesn't ---------


we can work here ,
in this public forum
to eliminate the some of feild...!


Instead of being told by the Times-Columinist,
who the frount runner's are ...!

we citizen's of Victoria can have our say ...!!!!!!!!


ted... (3-hours of a "town-hall meeting" can be held right here )


not that hasn't been suggested already

[Sue Woods]

THe final list of candidates for both Mayor and COuncil are here:

Hi there. Is it necessary to include web link - can you just print the names and not make addresses avail on the web? I am sure all the canadidates would prefer that.

Thanks - really appreciate if you would remove link asap.
Sue

[Mike K.]

That document is publicly accessible from the City of Victoria's 2008 elections web page.

Perhaps there is a requirement for a candidates list to include addresses when compiled by the City.

[Sue Woods]

Hi Mike. I did not realize that. Thx for info. Sue

[Jacques Cadé]

Eight candidates for mayor, 35 for council. Great. So I guess we can give up on any serious discussion in our news media of who these people are, or any hope for useful all-candidates forums. No wonder the incumbents always get re-elected.

It appears that candidates only need TWO people to sign their nomination papers. For the 2011 municipal election, this number should be increased to 20, or even 50. If a potential candidate can't find that many people willing to sign for them, they stand no chance of getting elected anyway.

Furthermore, the names of the people signing the nomination papers should be made public. If they are going to waste our time by foisting a lunatic upon an important electoral process, I want to know who they are.

[VicHockeyFan]

Eight candidates for mayor, 35 for council. Great. So I guess we can give up on any serious discussion in our news media of who these people are, or any hope for useful all-candidates forums. No wonder the incumbents always get re-elected.

It appears that candidates only need TWO people to sign their nomination papers. For the 2011 municipal election, this number should be increased to 20, or even 50. If a potential candidate can't find that many people willing to sign for them, they stand no chance of getting elected anyway.

Furthermore, the names of the people signing the nomination papers should be made public. If they are going to waste the public's time by foisting a lunatic upon the electoral process, I want to know who they are.

What Jacques said.

[Sue Woods]

Eight candidates for mayor, 35 for council. Great. So I guess we can give up on any serious discussion in our news media of who these people are, or any hope for useful all-candidates forums. No wonder the incumbents always get re-elected.

I have learned a lot over the past few weeks - one being that people mark their civic ballots in two very different ways in Victoria - which has the potential to skew the process in favour of certain candidates.

Many voters I've spoken to go into the polling booth believing they are "supposed" to check off all 8 boxes (given that they must check the correct number of boxes for Fed and Prov ballots - or their ballot would be considered spoiled.)
While others are aware that it is not required for civic ballots - so only check one or two boxes to plump up their favourite candidate(s) chances. This can move a candidate up the polls by 6 or 7 points with each ballot cast. If 200 people do it for the same candidate they can be moved up the ladder by 1200 votes. While those who think they are obliged by BC elections law to check all boxes spread their favourite candidate(s) equally into the arithmetic.

I am a relatively informed person who has been voting in Victoria for 20 years and I never knew this either. I have always checked 8 boxes - and have struggled at times to fill the last 3 or 4.

It has been confirmed to me by BC Elections that printed on the ballot it says pick "up to" 8 candidates - so looks like a breakdown in public communications. Most I've spoken to were completely unaware and surprised to learn about it, like me.

Maybe it should be explained to everyone entering a poll station that civic ballots differ in this way from every other political ballots. I think we all just do things by route these days and I've never taken the time to read the instructions either.

Given the misunderstanding, perhaps the City or BC Elections might promote steamlined information. Seems only democratic that everyone understands the same rules. How they play them is, of course, their choice.

Your thoughts, Sue

[Ms. B. Havin]

^ That's a really important point, Sue.

I agree it should be more widely known that you can help the candidates you really care about by voting selectively for just one or two, vs. checking 8 boxes off for council.

[Jacques Cadé]

Yes, plumping is the right thing to do if you can't come up with eight names to support. But that shouldn't be too big a problem, because I see 10 or 15 people on that list who are qualified, and would do a fine job.

My issue is that there are another 10 or so whom I wouldn't hire to serve coffee, let alone serve on council. They have run for office before, and disrupted meetings and verbally abused fellow citizens. They are only going to further diminish the importance of municipal affairs in the eyes of the general public.

The BC Local Government Act says the following

Section 71 (1) A nomination for office as a member of a local government must be made in accordance with section 72, separately for each candidate,
(a) by at least 2 qualified nominators of the jurisdiction for which the person is nominated, or
(b) if a bylaw under subsection (2) applies, by at least the minimum number of such persons as set by the bylaw.

(2) A local government may, by bylaw,
(a) in relation to any jurisdiction, set the minimum number of qualified nominators at 10, or
(b) in relation to a jurisdiction with a population of 5 000 or more, set the minimum number of qualified nominators at 25.

We'll see how the all-candidates meetings go. But if I'm proven right, the new council should follow Section 71(2)(b) and increase the minimum number of nominators for future elections to 25.

[Caramia]

That is a really good point Sue -- I always vote smart by choosing as few candidates as possible. I don't waste my vote on those who are going to be elected by a landslide anyhow, even if I want them in.

[Bernard]

My problem is I have nine people I want to vote for.

As someone that has run in a some local elections and saw the need to get people to 'plump' their ballot, it is not easy to do. People feel they it is unfair not to vote for the maximum number that they can. That plumping is sort of dirty and unfair advantage.

Political insiders will vote for less people, but the average person will vote their maximum. There are people that will not vote because they can not come up with a full slate of people vote for.

If the VCE had properly understood this in 2005 and nominated eight people for council, odds are they would have elected more people to council.

The 35 person ballot in Victoria also causes a problem in so far as that it is much easier to make an error and put nine marks on a ballot.