Summary#
Bill 199, presented by Alexandre Leduc, proposes to replace the current voting system in Quebec with a mixed system with regional compensation.
The main changes would be as follows:
- The National Assembly would increase from 125 to 129 seats.
- There would be 80 constituency members, elected as today: the candidate with the most votes wins.
- There would be 49 regional members, chosen based on the votes received by parties and independent candidates in each region.
- Quebec would be divided into 17 electoral regions, generally corresponding to administrative regions.
- Each voter would have two votes:
- one for a candidate in their constituency;
- one for a regional party list or for an independent regional candidate.
- A party would need to obtain at least 4% of valid regional votes across Quebec to participate in the allocation of regional seats.
- Parties would have to adhere to certain rules regarding representation between women and men:
- their regional lists should alternate between a woman and a man;
- between 40% and 60% of their constituency candidates should be women.
- Constituency members and regional members would have the same rights and privileges.
The reform would not take effect immediately. The Electoral Representation Commission would first need to establish the new constituencies. The first election under this system would take place after this step and after the end of the relevant legislature.
What This Means for You#
- You would vote on two ballots instead of one.
- Your constituency member would continue to represent a specific territory.
- You could also be represented by a regional member, responsible for representing the entire region.
- Your regional vote could help elect a party even if that party does not win any constituency in your area.
- Regional results could provide a more proportional representation of the votes received by the parties.
- Smaller parties would still need to reach the 4% threshold of regional votes across Quebec.
- You could vote for an independent candidate for the regional seat, rather than for a party list.
- Elections and counting would be more complex, as it would require processing two types of votes and calculating the allocation of regional seats.
- Regional seats would normally be allocated after compiling the results from the constituencies in the region.
The bill also provides rules for replacing a regional member who leaves their position. In the case of a party, the seat would generally go to another person from the same regional list.
Costs#
The bill does not provide a detailed estimate of the implementation costs.
However, it anticipates expenses related to:
- the preparation of two ballots;
- informing voters;
- adapting electoral systems and counting procedures;
- creating new electoral maps;
- managing regional lists and calculating seats.
The project indicates a desire to maintain the overall current envelope of public funding for parties. It also adjusts the caps on electoral expenses to keep, overall, the cap applicable across Quebec.
No publicly available information on the total expected cost for the government, municipalities, or parties.
Supporters' Viewpoint#
The stated objectives of the project include:
- better reflecting the diversity of political opinions;
- bringing the proportion of seats obtained closer to the proportion of votes received;
- maintaining a local link between voters and their representatives;
- ensuring representation of different regions of Quebec;
- promoting better representation of women, youth, and people from diverse backgrounds;
- preserving a certain level of governmental stability through the maintenance of elected members in constituencies.
Supporters might also argue that the second vote gives voters more choices. It would allow for distinguishing the choice of a local representative from the choice of a regional political direction.
Opponents' Viewpoint#
No publicly available information on the official positions of opponents to this bill.
Possible criticisms could focus on:
- the complexity of a system involving two votes and two types of members;
- the risk of confusion between the responsibilities of a constituency member and those of a regional member;
- the 4% threshold, which would prevent some parties from participating in the allocation of regional seats;
- the method of calculating seats, which takes into account both regional votes and constituency seats already won;
- the transition period and the adaptation costs for electoral administration;
- the parity rules imposed on parties, which some might contest as a restriction on candidate selection.