Electoral Renewal Canada on Bluesky
The Longest Ballot Committee (@longestballot.bsky.social) is a political organization in Canada that has been contesting Canadian elections since the 2021.
They protest Canada’s elections by flooding individual districts with dozens of independent candidates. But why do they take this approach?
The core of their message is straightforward:
Politicians should not be in charge of making the rules for their own elections.
It’s true, there is an inherent conflict of interest in allowing politicians to be the decision makers in this respect, and it’s not just limited to the election system.
One tool to help improve decision-making is the use of Citizen’s Assemblies.
Dozens of randomly selected citizens work together to make decisions through careful discussion and consensus.
Here’s information from an assembly held in Yukon last year: www.yukoncitizensassembly.ca
In the disinformation age, our institutions face real threats to their legitimacy. Strengthening them and reclaiming legitimacy must include an openness to new ways of making decisions.
That change can start with a National Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform: