It looks like Guelph will take a pass, at least for now, on a new option for how municipalities elect councillors and mayors.
City staff is recommending that Guelph stick with its current method for the 2018 municipal election and pass on a ranked ballot option made available by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing earlier this year.
A city staff report goes to council Sept. 6, the first meeting of council after the summer break and the first under it's new committee of the whole system.
The ranked ballot system sees voters list all candidates in order of preference. Votes are distributed based on the rankings and counting is carried out in rounds with one candidate being elected or eliminated in each round.
So if a person's first choice for Mayor or councillor got the least votes and was eliminated, there's the possibility their second choice could still have bearing on the eventual outcome.
Currently voters chose one candidate for mayor and two councillors to represent their ward.
"A change to the ranked ballot approach may be confusing to experienced and new voters alike," says the report.
"The implications of a new voting system with a ranked ballot need to be balanced with opportunities to naturally progress and expand on election services in terms of planning and implementing the 2018 municipal election," it says.
It adds it would cost the city between $47,500 and $60,000 to implement.
It goes on to say it is in the city's best interests to wait until the legislative framework is finalized, financial impacts assessed, necessary equipment evaluated and public education requirements established.
Currently no Canadian municipality uses the ranked ballot format and city staff are recommending Guelph stick with its current system and evaluate the new system after the 2018 election.
Ranked ballot is a somewhat complex system that sees votes distributed based on voter rankings.
Once a candidate for office has passed the "threshold" needed to be elected (in Guelph's case 51 per cent for mayor and 34 per cent for council) they are elected, but other rankings can go towards other candidates.
After each round of counting, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and another round of counting takes place until the required number of candidates are elected.
Clear as mud, right?
That's one of the reasons city staff is recommending the idea be shelved for now.
"Substantial public consultation and engagement is recommended before implement such a significant change to the current electoral system," the report says.
Staff has asked council to consider holding a referendum on the 2018 election ballots asking people if they would support a move to a ranked ballot system.
That could also be an issue because a referendum needs 50 per cent of eligible voters to cast a ballot for it to be binding. The 2014 election saw a voter turnout of 43 per cent, which was Guelph's highest in recent history.
