Know How They Vote

On June 20, 2010 Know How They Vote submitted a questionnaire to each of the 11 candidates running in the Glace Bay and Yarmouth byelections. The questionnaire asked the candidates to respond to three questions concerning the practice of anonymous voting in the Legislature:

1. Do you support an end to anonymous voting?

2. If elected MLA, will you stand before each vote at Second and Third Reading in the House and demand that the vote be recorded in Hansard?

3. If elected MLA, will you publicly support a meeting of the Committee on Assembly Matters in the fall of 2010 to officially and permanently make recorded votes the rule, and not the exception, in the Legislature?

Responses are left unedited. The following candidates did not respond to our questionnaire in time:

Myrtle Campbell (Glace Bay: New Democratic Party)
Zach Churchill (Yarmouth: Liberal Party)
Charles Crosby (Yarmouth: Progressive Conservative Party)
John Deveau (Yarmouth: New Democratic Party)
Belle Hatfield (Yarmouth: Independent)
John Percy (Yarmouth: Green Party)

Responses, in alphabetical order:

Jonathan Dean (Yarmouth: Atlantica Party)

1. Yes 2. Yes 3. Yes

Edna Lee (Glace Bay: Independent)

I could not open you attachment. I can tell you I believe all votes should be recorded in Hansard for public viewing.

Geoff MacLellan (Glace Bay: Liberal Party)

I am in full support of the principles behind your organization. I will always make my voting record known to the people of Glace Bay should I be elected tomorrow. I am responsible to the constituents in my town and I want them to know every decision I am making on their behalf, regardless of the issue or what stage of the reading process. I would support your initiative as long as it does not slow down the business of government. Should I be elected, I would be more than willing to meet with you to understand your execution plan.

Michelle Wheelhouse (Glace Bay: Progressive Conservative Party)

I am in receipt of your correspondence received on the last day of the campaign and sent on Sunday, June 20th regarding the Glace Bay by-election. While the voters of Glace Bay have not raised your questions as a local priority that I am aware of, I can assure you that the Progressive Conservative Caucus is seeking, and is supportive of, changes to the House of Assembly practices and procedures through the Assembly Matters Committee. The leaders of all three parties in the House will be meeting tomorrow and I am forwarding a copy of your correspondence to my Leader for her information and use. The most important recorded vote is the one the people of Glace Bay will make tomorrow in exercising their democratic right to choose their MLA. I can assure you, as I have the people of Glace Bay, I will be open and accountable to the people I hope to have the privilege to represent. I hope Glace Bay will have a fresh start and topics such as the one you’ve raised will have wider consideration in the coming days.

Dan Wilson (Glace Bay: Atlantica Party)

1. It really is a mark of shame on our Province, that has to end. If a citizen of Nova Scotia, is not privy to the information on how their representative has voted, how is an MLA supposed to be held accountable for his or her actions? I fully endorse bringing an end to anonymous voting in Halifax.

2. When it takes so little effort in order demand a recorded vote, why would I not? It is for the betterment of our province, and the people in it to have each and every vote recorded and accounted for. The public has the right to know. If elected as your MLA for Glace Bay, I vow to stand before each and every reading in demand of a recorded vote.

3. Personally, I do not understand why it is a question of choice. In a province currently lacking in trust for their Government, it should be obvious that transparency and accountability are keystones in democracy. If elected as MLA for Glace Bay in this by-election, I will make it my first act in the coming fall session within the Legislature to fully back and indeed push for a meeting of the Committee on Assembly Matters. The subject of the meeting should be to finally, and officially eliminate anonymous voting in the Legislature.

Today I sent a questionnaire to each of the 11 candidates running in the Yarmouth and Glace Bay byelections. I will post all responses tomorrow.

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June 20, 2010

Dear candidate,

On June 22^nd, voters in Glace Bay and Yarmouth will elect two new MLAs to represent their riding in Province House.

The Know How They Vote Campaign would like to let its supporters know which candidates are committed to putting an end to anonymous voting in the NS Legislature. In the past 13 years, less than 1% of all votes at Second and Third Reading were recorded in Hansard, the official record of Legislature business in Nova Scotia. This is a stark contrast to the federal House of Commons where nearly 100% of all votes are recorded.

The practice of anonymous voting is shameful. Without an objective record of votes tallied in the Legislature, citizens are unable to carry out their role in holding their MLAs to account. While many MLAs currently in the House believe that their word is a reliable source of information on voting records, recent events in the Legislature have proven that citizens needn’t and shouldn’t subject themselves to the good word of their MLA.

In the Nova Scotia legislature, only two MLAs are required to demand a recorded vote. With two byelections this summer, you have the opportunity and the responsibility to stand up for accountability and transparency by answering the following questions:

1. Do you support an end to anonymous voting?
2. If elected MLA, will you stand before each vote at Second and Third Reading in the House and demand that the vote be recorded in Hansard?
3. If elected MLA, will you publicly support a meeting of the Committee on Assembly Matters in the fall of 2010 to officially and permanently make recorded votes the rule, and not the exception, in the Legislature?

On Monday, June 21^st, the Know How They Vote campaign will release all candidates’ responses to these questions on its website and via press release. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Michael Kennedy
Director, Know How They Vote NS
www.knowhowtheyvotens.com
902-270-6487

Well, the hiatus is over. In January 2010, this campaign was put on hold because yours truly was taking a 4 month study abroad in Africa. Well I’m back, and without a moment to spare I am picking this up again and starting the pressure campaign for 2010/2011!

Me in some traditional African garb

Over the next 6 weeks I will start posting all recorded votes that occurred in the spring 2010 session of the Legislature. I haven’t even counted the total, but I doubt that politicians had a change of heart from their dismal commitment to recorded votes in the Fall session.

Additionally, today I have emailed each MLA running in the Glace Bay and Yarmouth byelections and asked them a series of questions regarding their commitment to make recorded votes the norm in the Legislature if elected. Stay tuned for responses!

“If people don’t know what you’re doing, they don’t know what you’re doing wrong”. – Yes Minister

Sign our new petition which we shall present to the members of the Nova Scotia Legislature calling for the immediate end of anonymous voting in the House.