63% of Voters Say "NO!" to MMP!

This is the second ballot voters were asked to complete at pollin station across the province.

The old redneck saying “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” seems to run true the recent referendum. Why change something that has worked since the beginning of Canada? Just recently, Ontarians have wisely chosen to keep the current electoral system. There was and always will be those who gripe about changing it and blaming elections Canada for not spreading the word. Quite frankly, these would be the same people who would complain when they immediately realize the downfalls of the new mixed- member proportional system. If the system had been in place last night it would have dramatically increased the NDP's seat total and put the Green Party into the legislature for the first time. Thank god it didn’t pass, can you imagine what those tree-hugging hippies would have done when they saw all of that glossy embossed carved Maple in Queens Park? I think a riot in the legislature was narrowly diverted!
Larry Gordon, the campaign manager for the citizens' group Vote for MMP, stated it appeared many voters simply didn't get the information they needed to decide. He said Elections Ontario, which said it sent out millions of leaflets and spent $6.8-million, still could have done more to spread the word. Well gee golly, if you wanted more publicity how about you shell out the cash or walk door to door instead of the rest of the informed tax payers paying for it. However, results showed that voters were strongly opposed to the new plan to make Ontario's voting system mirror the popular vote. In total, roughly 63 per cent of voters chose to retain the current system.

However, more disturbing is the fact that he issue of electoral reform will be back on the ballot there in 2009. Previously, PEI voters rejected MMP in 2005, as did British Columbia more recently. The main push for a new system is because it would eliminate the difficulty of parties forming majority governments with less than 50 % of the vote by making sure that a party's share of seats in the legislature more closely proportional its popular support.
Voters would still elect local MPPs, much as they do now, but there would be only 90 seats chosen this way. Voters would also be asked to vote separately for a party. Another 39 seats in the legislature, drawn from lists of candidates submitted by each party, would be given based on these votes, for a total of 129 seats, compared with the current 107. These seats would only be awarded to parties that win at least 3 % of the vote, to limit outside groups.
To me, all the new system would do is create more people in the legislature, 22 to be exact. That is an extra 22 people you need to pay a government salary to. If you were to guess tat the average salary was $65,000, multiply that by 22 people, and you are paying out 1.43 million dollars a year, not to mention paying them pension after they retire! Furthermore, think about how difficult it is with 107 people to pass any new legislation. Now imagine that with 22 extra people. I just really do not see how this could be any better for Ontario.

So it sits, 107 seats.