Canadian vs. U.S. Elections – A Study in Contrasts

By Mark Brown.

Over the course of the next few weeks, elections will be held in both Canada and the United States. Here in Windsor-Essex, municipal elections will be held Oct 27. Mayors, deputy mayors, councilors and school board trustees will be chosen to carry out the business of their community for the next four years. In Windsor, there will be huge turnover at city hall, as there are open seats in the mayor’s office and at least some city wards will choose new councilors.

Across the border, it is time for the congressional midterm elections. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are chosen every even-numbered year. Some states also choose senators for new six-year terms. In the state of Michigan, there’s a governor’s race. Republican Rick Snyder is running for re-election against challenger Mark Schauer, a Democrat. Voters will also choose a secretary of state and an attorney general. Communities are also choosing mayors, school board members, judges and dog catchers, while some areas will be voting on ballot initiatives that are as big as funding for public safety and as minor as whether to name their town hall building after a former mayor.

It may be easier to discuss the similarities between elections in the two countries first. The first one is that citizens are allowed one vote each. Canada and the United States are huge democratic powers that allow their citizens this right under their respective constitutions. The second similarity is the offices to be voted on. Communities in both countries choose their municipal leaders the same way and they can vote on a variety of ballot questions. A third similarity, pending the law in the individual community, is that there are alternatives if a voter can’t make it to the polls on election day. They can vote by absentee ballot, they can vote early, or in the case of Tecumseh, vote online. A fourth is that in municipal elections in both countries, majority rules. The candidate who gets either a majority of the total vote (in two-person races) or a plurality is the winner.

There is also another glaring similarity. Accusations of dirty tricks and name calling are commonplace in both Canadian and American elections. This election cycle is not immune. We have all seen the attacks being fired on both sides in print (including this publication) and we have all seen and heard the attack ads on television, radio and online.

For every similarity there is a difference as well and there certainly are differences between elections in both countries. In the United States, elections for president, vice-president, representative, senator, governor and other offices are held in fixed-year intervals no matter what happens. In Canada, elections for the Parliament in Ottawa and the provincial legislatures are held when the Prime Minister or premier calls for an election, usually after the government falls. In the U.S., voters choose their candidate directly at federal and state levels while in Canada, voters choose the candidate of their choice in their own district (riding), and the party with the most seats is asked to form the next government.

While legislators in the lower houses of Canadian government can find themselves campaigning at the drop of a hat if the government falls, American legislators have fixed terms. For example, U.S. Representatives serve two-year terms. This means that every two years the president will know how easy it will be to pass programs based on how many in his party have been elected. Senators are elected in the US to six-year terms while in Canada they are appointed by the prime minister, according to provincial quotas. At the state level in America, the rules are pretty much the same.
One other difference – American judges are elected except at the federal level. Canadian judges are appointed regardless of government level.

No matter which side of the border you reside on, or whatever issues your community happens to be facing, it will not make a difference unless you lend your voice to the discussion. So take care of your responsibility…
Vote.