The Stacks

In The Stacks you will find a variety of reading materials from a number of different sources. Everything is grouped as introductory, intermediate or advanced.

We have done our best to provide you with materials that present different points of view. That way you can choose materials that work for you and decide which electoral system you prefer.

Introductory Materials

Principles and Characteristics of Electoral Systems (PDF, 177KB)
An introduction to the eight principles and characteristics in the regulation that created the Citizens' Assembly prepared by the Citizens' Assembly Secretariat.
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Ontario Politics and Government - A Brief Overview (PDF, 1.07MB)
An overview of Ontario politics and government prepared by the Legislative Library of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. (Posted with permission of the Legislative Library of Ontario.)
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How Canadians Govern Themselves (PDF, 790KB)
Senator Eugene Forsey wanted us to know how government works in Canada for one very simple reason — there is nothing Canadians do in any given day that is not affected by how we govern ourselves. As he says inside this booklet: “We cannot work or eat or drink; we cannot buy or sell or own anything; we cannot go to a ball game or a hockey game or watch TV without feeling the effects of government. We cannot marry or educate our children, cannot be sick, born or buried without the hand of government somewhere intervening.”
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Intermediate Materials

Electoral System Design - The New International IDEA Handbook (PDF, 3.46MB)
A comprehensive overview of the four families of electoral systems; this is a textbook Assembly members will use. The Citizens’ Assembly Secretariat would like to thank IDEA for its support of the Learning Phase.
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral assistance, Stockholm, Sweden, 2005. Copyright © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction by David M. Farrell (available at bookstores and libraries)
Provides an overview of the main types of electoral systems using real-world examples. This book will also be used by Assembly members during the Learning Phase.

Advanced Materials

From Votes to Seats: Four Families of Electoral Systems (PDF, 2MB)
Prepared by Larry Johnston under the direction of the Citizens' Assembly Secretariat.
Provides a comprehensive overview, in connection with the principles the Assembly is considering, of four families of electoral systems.
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‘Electoral Systems’ (PDF, 1.87MB)
By André Blais and Louis Massicotte, from Comparing Democracies 2: new challenges in the study of elections and voting.
An in-depth review of different electoral systems and the tradeoffs involved when choosing an electoral system. (Copyright 2002. Used with permission.)
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