SASK Lags Behind Other Provinces in Life Satisfaction

[Fuzz]

Another little known fact, Saskatchewan actually has a tear in The Matrix.


https://maps.app.goo.gl/qxPL39RGdAVRjZmL8

[Firebot]

53% for the SP with the NPD under 40%. Polls earlier this week had NDP at 49%. What's the point of polling when it is off by so much.

Regina and Saskatoon pretty much went all NDP, while rural Saskatchewan went SP

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Firebot

53% for the SP with the NPD under 40%. Polls earlier this week had NDP at 49%. What's the point of polling when it is off by so much.

Regina and Saskatoon pretty much went all NDP, while rural Saskatchewan went SP

I am guessing there are lot of people that didn't vote because their ridings were unwinnable for the NDP. Sask looks tough for a progressive party to win, can't even take it with the cities.
I will still vote in the Federal election but my vote won't matter where I am haha

[belsarius]

Originally Posted by Bonded

I am guessing there are lot of people that didn't vote because their ridings were unwinnable for the NDP. Sask looks tough for a progressive party to win, can't even take it with the cities.
I will still vote in the Federal election but my vote won't matter where I am haha

Yeah, we see this all the time Federally for the NDP. They always poll a lot higher than election results, stemming from a combination of voter apathy and strategic voting. I suspect you are probably right that there is a lack of turnout in unwinnable ridings as right now its looking like another 50% turnout election.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by firebot

regina and saskatoon pretty much went all ndp, while rural saskatchewan went sp

https://twitter.com/user/status/1851226292601168063

[Ozy_Flame]

This growing rural/urban electoral divide, where most of a province's population live in their biggest cities but rural populations can override them, is further proof that FPTP is a useless system. You can't tell a riding to "vote harder" and expect the result to change.

[Locke]

Man...if only someone had campaigned on promising to eliminate 'First Past the Post.

That guy would have been elected for sure.

[belsarius]

Originally Posted by Locke

Man...if only someone had campaigned on promising to eliminate 'First Past the Post.

That guy would have been elected for sure.

I'd buy that for a dollar!

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

This growing rural/urban electoral divide, where most of a province's population live in their biggest cities but rural populations can override them, is further proof that FPTP is a useless system. You can't tell a riding to "vote harder" and expect the result to change.

Is there really that big of a divide though between rural and urban power and votes? Saskatoon and Regina make up around 46% of the population and are represented by around 43% percent of the seats. Shifting two rural ridings to urban ridings evens things out.

[Ozy_Flame]

Yes. That number is actually somewhere in the range of 50-55% as per the latest estimates by the Gov of Saskatchewan.

Also, shifting two rural ridings to urban ridings doesn't solve the issue because that doesn't automatically get people to switch their vote. You often see suburban votes on the periphery of a big city being closer to rural voting patterns if there are any urban anomolies.

PR would allocate seats more closely in line with the overall vote share, even at the NDP's expense. For example, the NDP received 39.5% of the votes across Saskatchewan yesterday, but the current system means they get 43% of the seats. Meanwhile the Sask Party got 52.9% of the votes, but are getting 57% of the seats. In a two-party system, this can be a precarious balance between forming government and not (especially if there's a third-party holding balance like in BC).

PR would represent smaller parties and diverse viewpoints, as their share of seats would be more proportional to the popular vote. Also, under FPTP, rural areas often have a greater representation due to constituency boundaries, which can lead to overrepresentation of rural interests.

As I said, bigger gaps in party preference in a particular riding don't matter in FPTP. If a riding had 50,000 voters, and 40,000 voted for the NDP, all it would take is 10,001 votes to actually win the riding in a two-party race. The other 39,999 votes are rendered useless. This is the challenge of FPTP, where voting harder doesn't matter unless it's neck-and-neck.

And FYI, the two Saskatoon ridings are extremely close races right now - Westview with a 0.4% margin, and Willowgrove with a 2.8% margin.

[DownInFlames]

How bored do you have to be to discuss Saskatchewan politics?

[Weitz]

Why in the heck would anyone want a fringe 3rd party to hold the balance of power?

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

How bored do you have to be to discuss Saskatchewan politics?

Moe Money, Moe Problems

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Why in the heck would anyone want a fringe 3rd party to hold the balance of power?

Most of BC apparently?

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Why in the heck would anyone want a fringe 3rd party to hold the balance of power?

The parties can reorganize. You don't have to be big tent anymore in proportional. No reason why the governing coalition can't be centre-left with centre-right.