Vote No to the Electoral Reform Amendment

[Clyde1998]

We needed a no campaign - so I created one

The Vote No campaign represents everyone who is opposed to the Electoral Reform Amendment that is set to replace at-large elections with districts, when electing new Senators.

Why Vote No?

One Senator per district means the end of PR and at-large elections

The proposed amendment replaces the at-large elections with district elections. This means that only one one candidate is elected per district; there would be no proportional representation in the five new districts - Instant Run-Off Voting is not proportional. A different voting system could be used in the at-large elections to increase the chances of smaller parties being elected - such as D'Hondt.

An increased chance of majority rule

The proposed amendment allows only one candidate to be elected from one region and district. This could push smaller parties out of the Senate, despite having large enough support to be elected via the current at-large elections. While it's currently unlikely that smaller parties would win at-large seats, the proposed changes would kill their chances forever. With only one candidate being elected per region and district, then there is an increased chance that one party could win nearly every region and district - and have a majority in the Senate. This could lead to one party pushing through legislation against the wishes of, potentially, the majority of citizens. With the current system, majority rule less likely to happen. The Senate should be about collaboration, not majority rule.

The potential to gerrymander

The proposed district boundaries keeps most of the Pacific states together and the South-East states together (with a few minor exceptions) - whereas the Canadian seats, which are spread between each region, are located as one district. There is nothing in the amendment to suggest that the boundaries have to be roughly the same when they are re-drawn. What's to stop the Pacific seats from being placed in four different districts next time?

I call on everyone opposed to the current changes to sign up to the campaign below and invite everyone to state their individual reasons why they're opposed to the amendment proposals.

[Clyde1998]

Thank you to everyone who plans to (has already voted) vote No to this amendment.

The Northeast and Pacific polls are open - and the early returns, in both regions, are positive.

[Clyde1998]

No campaign round logos

The no campaign has released round logos for supporters of the campaign. This design is intended to be simple, but recognisable. Inspiration was taken from the YesScotland logo. There are addition logos, aside from the main campaign logo - with the colour of each logo representing each of the main six parties in Atlasia.

   

A few campaign posters will be released in the near future.

[Clyde1998]

The Midwest voting booth is open - meaning that all regions that require a public referendum on the subject have opened their voting booths.

The South's legislature will debate in due course.

The polls close at:
Pacific: 1st May, 16:53 ET or 21:53 BST
Northeast: 2nd May, Midnight ET or 05:00 BST
Mideast: 5th May, 20:10 ET or 6th May 01:10 BST
Midwest: 7th May, 00:09 ET or 05:09 BST

[Clyde1998]

Polls close in the Pacific in just over 5 hours and in around 11 hours in the Northeast.

[Clyde1998]

Vote No campaign statement
On behalf of the No campaign, I would like to congratulate the "Aye" campaign on their victory in the Pacific - now that polling has closed in that region.

Pacific results:
Yes - 6 (60%)
No - 4 (40%)
Turnout - 10 (40%)

Our campaign, however, continues in the Northeast, Mideast, Midwest and the South, until the polls are closed in these regions and the Southern legislature has had its final vote.

We will continue to fight for every vote until we know the final verdict on this amendment.

[Clyde1998]

Vote No campaign statement
I would like to thank everyone on the No campaign for the support that you have given me throughout this campaign, but above all I'd like to thank everyone in Atlasia for making this campaign an exciting and lively one.

The Electoral Reform Amendment has failed to gain support in at least four of the five regions in Atlasia. This means that the Amendment has failed, at this stage. I accept the verdict of the people and I request that everyone in Atlasia follows in accepting the democratic verdict of the country.

I've spoken to, and convinced, many people across throughout campaign – people from different parties from me, different political beliefs as me, but people who share the same view on this issue. It's been an enjoyable few weeks.

However, I recognise that a majority of regions did vote in support of the amendment, as well as 50% of those who voted via a referendum in four of the five regions.

Now we face the effects of Atlasia's decision:

On behalf of the no campaign, I accept the result and I pledge to work co-operatively and constructively in the interests of Atlasia.

I promised, during the campaign, to hold talks with the President and the leader of the "Aye" campaign about holding a 'national conversation' to find a voting system that a majority of people would agree with. I am still committed to this.

I’ll be speaking to both the leader of the "Aye" campaign and the President tomorrow and I’ll make another statement later to reflect on the full results.

Finally, as many people pointed out during the campaign - I was a Labour party member opposing a key policy of the Labour President. I feel that it may be beneficial, for both my party and myself, for me to resign as a member of the Labour Party.

I am yet to make my final decision, however. I may chose to stay on as a member, become an independent, join another party or create a new one.

Additionally, I'm considering my position in the North East Assembly. The people of the North East voted to pass this amendment - I campaigned hard against the amendment, in opposition the wishes of the majority of people that I represent. But, again, I haven't made my final decision.

To wrap up - I'd once again like to thank everyone who has supported me during this campaign and I hope we can bring the country together quickly.

I'll take any questions for those who have any.