Should Kingston Switch to Ranked Ballot Voting?

This week City Council approved the final wording of the question for the upcoming referendum on ranked ballot voting. When voters head to the polls for the municipal election this October, after casting their votes for Mayor, District Councillor and School Trustee, they will be asked the following question:

Are you in favour of using Ranked Ballot Voting to elect the Mayor and District Councillors in the City of Kingston? Yes or No

If the majority of voters say yes to this question, the work will then begin to establish ranked ballot voting for the following municipal election in 2022.

Electoral reform has been a big topic of discussion across the country over the last couple of years, but now the debate will be focused here in Kingston, as we weigh the pros and cons of ranked ballot voting as an alternative to the current first past the post system. In the lead up to the referendum this fall, it will be important for all Kingstonians to first make sure that they understand how a ranked ballot system would work. Here is a short video describing the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cGE3jpyCos

So is ranked ballot voting better than what we have now? I can certainly see both the advantages and disadvantages to ranked ballots. You could argue that ranked balloting is fairer because it considers not only a voter’s 1^st choice, but also how they feel about other candidates on the ballot. On the other hand, ranked balloting is more complex, and also more expensive to implement. I look forward to hearing more from those on either side of the debate and whatever the outcome, I believe that Kingston has made the right choice in letting the voters decide which voting system is best.