POL214Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Proportional Representation, Returning Officer, Gerrymandering
Document Summary
It is important that elections be conducted in the most free and fair" way possible. The primary function of elections is to allow the mass of citizens to choose their parliamentary representatives and their governmental leaders. Both political parties and advocacy groups take advantage of elections to articulate certain interests. In a house of commons where each mp represents a specific constituency, the electoral process begins by dividing the country into single-member electoral districts. This process is called redistribution; involves two stages: first, deciding how many seats in the commons to allot to each province and territory; second, actually drawing constituency boundaries within the province. Drawing constituency boundaries within each province was historically the prerogative of the politicians. Gerrymandering manipulating constituency boundaries so as to ensure as far as possible the re- election of the members of the government party. The chief electoral officer is responsible for the overall administration of the election and must function with absolute impartiality.
