Atlantica Party

KNOW HOW THEY VOTE

Did you know that almost all votes in the Nova Scotia Legislature are not recorded, that is they are recorded anonymously?

You have no way to find out how your representative is voting or even if your representative is present in the House. The Parliament in Ottawa records all votes, so too should Nova Scotia's Legislature. The Atlantica Party is committed to bringing in legislation that requires all votes on bills to be recorded and disseminated to the public both in print and electronically in a timely fashion along with information that makes House activity transparent giving the voters of Nova Scotia the power to assess and hold accountable those who vote in their names.

So join our new campaign, in collaboration with the Know How They Vote website, to have all votes recorded in the Nova Scotia Legislature!

What you can do

1. Sign our petition.

2. Visit the knowhowtheyvote web site

3. Send this email to the members of the House

Step 1. Click on this link, it adds the emails to address line of your email program

email list for the Members of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly

Step 2. Copy and Paste this as the subject or title of the email

From a Concerned Voter

Step 3. Copy and Paste this as the body of the email

To the Members of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly

In 2008 Nova Scotia celebrated 250 years of democracy, making it the oldest democracy in Canada. Indeed, Nova Scotians had much to celebrate.

However, while we have much to celebrate, we have much to improve upon as well. The ability of citizens to hold their MLA to account in the Nova Scotia Legislature is obstructed by the lack of recorded votes in Hansard, the official recording of all business in the Legislature. Nova Scotians have no way of knowing how their MLA voted on crucial issues affecting their families and communities.

In the past 6 years, spanning the 59th and 60th General Assemblies, 853 Bills have been introduced, debated and voted upon in the House. Of these 853 Bills, only 12 votes were recorded in Hansard. The rest of the Bills were voted on anonymously, with no indication of which MLAs voted in support and against.

We are thus faced with a democratic deficit in our Province. A lack of accountability breeds cynicism, and cynicism breeds voter apathy, as demonstrated by the declining rate of voter turnout at Provincial Elections.

As an MLA, you are the key to bringing accountability into the Legislature. In previous Legislatures it had become commonplace to call for a “voice vote”; a vote of the entire House without recording individual votes. While certainly more expedient, the cost is less accountability. A recorded vote can be demanded by any two MLAs immediately before a vote is to be called. Therefore, it is your responsibility and that of your colleagues to change the damaging trend in the Legislature.

I hope that Nova Scotians can count on your support in the 61st General Assembly.

Sincerely,

Step 4. Add your name and click Send

4. Indicate that you would be prepared to come to a Know How They Vote event.

5. Volunteer.