You might be surprised to learn that individual voter turnout in Canadian federal elections has never reached 80% (Elections Canada). In fact, it has been declining since the mid-20th century, as evidenced by an increase in voter apathy. An electoral system is designed to provide those living in democratic governments the opportunity to vote – in an election – for the candidate whose platform coincides with their political beliefs. This can be achieved through a direct democracy, where citizens are directly involved in the decision-making process, or through an indirect democracy, where citizens elect a delegate to act on their behalf. In a direct democracy, all citizens would be present during government meetings and have the opportunity to give verbal input. As you might expect, it would be extremely difficult to coordinate this with Canada's population of 34.88 billion (Statistics Canada). Canada uses an indirect democracy, which allows for two basic forms of electoral systems in which representatives are elected. In the simple pluralistic electoral system, the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes is elected, regardless of whether he has a majority or not. It is commonly known as the “first-past-the-post” system, which alludes to a horse race; the winner takes over the seat with the most votes and only has to garner more votes than his or her opponents. The successful candidate wins all the seats in his constituency or constituency while candidates who come in second or third place will not receive any seats, regardless of how many votes they lose. Proportional representation is the second form of electoral system used in Canada; the percentage of votes received by a party is proportionate to the numbness...... middle of paper ......ment plays an important role in determining the relationship between its politicians and its voters. It also “[calculates] how votes are translated into seats of political power… it also affects the party system, political culture, government formation, and the structure of the executive” (Trac 5). More importantly, candidates in an SMP system can be elected with minimal public support since they do not require a majority of votes. To be elected to the legislature in the PR system, a candidate must have “at least 3% of the party vote provincewide” (Citizens' Assembly of Ontario 3). Unlike the SMP system, the PR system better represents citizens' opinions, supports stable and effective government, and is a simple but practical voting system. It successfully meets the needs of voters, unlike the traditional system.