Ontario voters are going to be asked to vote on a referendum during an upcoming provincial election.
Elections Ontario has put together an interactive site that explains first past the post, mixed proportional representation, the reasons for the referendum, the ballot and basic information Ontario voters will need to make an informed choice.
This surprises me for a couple of reasons.
One, it is very clear. Someone has worked very hard to bring the sub-language of politics to an appropriate level - the level of the voter.
The KISS rule of communication - keep it simple stupid. You aren’t being talked over or down to.
Second, the site answers questions at the pace of the viewer, the viewer doesn’t need computer skills, just the ability to click the mouse.
If there are questions not answered by the site, the viewer is given clear directions on where to go to get their answer.
It’s interactive and you can flip back and forth to learn at your own speed.
I wasn’t distracted or frustrated.
Wow. Good use of Web 2.0 technology, easy to print, share, and the viewer is not overwhelmed with geeky flash nonsense.
The people appearing in each question look like neighbours. Seriously, the people appearing in each question look like the folks walking down the street, or an all candidates meeting. That was refreshing and it certainly doesn’t have a campaign politician look or sound. (Nor should it!)
The referendum learning site is available in 20 languages.
I so used to the frustration of navigating lousy user-unfriendly government web sites, I’m genuinely surprised at the thought and effort put into this, and found myself taking the time to explore all it offered. Well done Elections Ontario.
Published 1 year, 2 months ago
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The webpage is great technology but doesn’t answer the question about the need for politicians to appoint their own people rather than have them voted in. It seems we are witnessing the intial steps of anarchy coming to Canada through the upcoming Ontario election.
Here is a notice to Ontario voters about the new electoral scheme proposed in the upcoming October referendum.
The Ontario government is attempting to change the electoral boundaries and representation in Ontario to gain added power with less responsibilty to the voters. Otherwise why would the present government be asking for a referendum without full debate in both the media and on the floor of the legislature? Do you understand what the new scheme means to your ability to control the people in power? Have you been well educated on all aspects of the proposed changes? The only way to send a message to Ontario legislators from all parties apparently supporting the scheme is to send them a resounding NO VOTE on the proposed legislation.
The site, while flashy and replete with distracting bells and whistles, is clearly a case of style over substance.
For a site that’s supposed to hit everyone in the province, it doesn’t come close. Members of my family were confused by it.
It should have been simple, to the point, and accessible by everyone. It doesn’t answer REALLY important questions (how much will the implementation of an MMP system cost?!) and is clearly too concerned with being ‘fancy.’
Someone wanted to win a web award with this site. Too bad it’s the wrong venue - this is a really important piece of information to overdress. So much for my Dialup internet connection, eh?
It is available in text only Charles, my computer is getting old, and I see they made allowances.
Elections Ontario had 7 million to get out brochures to every household, get people out in the field for meetings and put the website up.
They are at least clear about where you can get more information.
You are correct, it isn’t enough information, but it is a place to start.