Independent candidates would be able to run in MMP system
Commissioner clarifies rules around independents, party list candidates
Independent candidates will be able to run under a mixed-member proportional, or MMP, system says Gerard Mitchell, Prince Edward Island's commissioner for the referendum on proportional representation.
People could vote for an independent candidate in the district race, then choose a party in the province-wide party vote, or just vote in the district and forgo voting for any party.
"My take on it is that you can have an independent candidate in the district vote, but you can't have an independent candidate in the party vote, because only registered parites get to participate in that," said Mitchell.
First public forum
Mitchell said the issue came out of the first public forum on Thursday in Ellerslie, P.E.I. About 38 people attended, Mitchell said, which he considered a good turnout.
The information sessions are being held to explain the choices in the upcoming referendum. The question — Should Prince Edward Island change its voting system to a mixed-member proportional voting system? — will appear on the ballot during the next provincial election.
"It's just going to take some time to get everybody's head around it," said Mitchell of MMP.
The referendum commissioner has scheduled 13 more public information sessions between now and the end of February.
Monday night's session in Morell has been postponed because of the weather and rescheduled to March 4.
P.E.I. currently has only one independent MLA, Bush Dumville, who was elected as a Liberal in 2007, 2011 and 2015 but resigned from the caucus a year ago.
More on MMP
Mixed-member proportional is a hybrid system that combines proportional representation with the current system.
Under P.E.I.'s proposed MMP model, the number of districts on the Island would be reduced from 27 to 18. MLAs in those 18 districts would be elected the same way they are now — the candidate with the most votes wins.
Under this model there would also be nine list seats for MLAs, to bring the total back up to 27. Those nine seats would be assigned to parties in an attempt to match the makeup of seats in the House with the proportion of votes each party received in the election.
More P.E.I. news
With files from Laura Chapin