The 2022 Ontario provincial election is underway. As a Toronto-focused organization, normally we avoid getting involved in provincial politics. But the current provincial government’s 2020 decision to revoke municipalities' ability to use ranked ballots for their own elections, right after we’d won a path to do just that at Toronto City Council, means that this time we can’t. 

RaBIT’s Strategy

In our last newsletter, we promised to keep you updated on our strategy for engaging with the provincial election campaign. The main way we will be doing so is through our Candidate Pledge Campaign. In this campaign, we will be asking all the candidates from the four major political parties to take the following pledge:

"As a candidate in the 2022 Ontario Provincial Election, I pledge that, if elected, I will support, advance, and vote in favour of those actions required for Ontario municipalities to have the option of using ranked ballots for their municipal elections in time for the 2026 Ontario municipal elections."

If a candidate takes this pledge, we will publish their commitment on our website and on social media. The idea is to get the candidates on the record so that voters can make an informed choice in the voting booth.

We will also be drawing attention to ranked ballots and the need to restore local choice by publicizing the strong opposition that emerged against the current government’s move to block municipalities from using them. Similarly, we will also be highlighting the various parties’ past statements on ranked ballots, both on our website and in social media.

How can you help?

Elections are critical moments when we, the people, have the most power. We need you to help us raise the profile of ranked ballots and local choice in this election campaign. Here are five great ways you can do this:

• Voting for candidates that support restoring local choice and giving municipalities the ability to once again use ranked ballots for their own elections.
• Using social media to ask the candidates in your riding whether they support ranked ballots and have taken the pledge to restore local choice. 
• Amplifying RaBIT’s Twitter and Facebook posts during the campaign by liking and sharing them.
• Attending All Candidates Meetings in your riding and asking the candidates if they support ranked ballots, if they have taken the pledge, and why. (If you are willing to record their answers and share them with us at [email protected] we will help publicize them as well.)
• Talking to your friends and family about this issue and asking them to consider voting for candidates who support ranked ballots and restoring local choice.

Next steps

We will be back in touch soon with an update on how our Candidate Pledge Campaign is going as well as some additional resources for you to use as you advocate for ranked ballots and local choice. As always, thank you for your incredible support.