Bill 232 explained in plain English
Local Choice for Local Elections (Ranked Ballot By-Laws), 2020
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
This bill would allow Ontario municipalities to adopt ranked ballot elections for local council elections, subject to public consultation and voter ratification.
Bill 232, the Local Choice for Local Elections (Ranked Ballot By-Laws), 2020, proposes to amend the City of Toronto Act, 2006, and the Municipal Act, 2001. The bill would allow municipal councils to pass by-laws to adopt a ranked ballot system for electing their members. Before a council votes on such a by-law, it must consult the public as prescribed by regulations. Any by-law to use ranked ballots, or amendments to it, would need to be ratified by more than 50 per cent of the electors in the municipality through a vote. If ratified, these by-laws would take precedence over and could change how the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, and its regulations apply. The bill also defines what a ranked ballot election is, involving electors ranking candidates by preference, votes being distributed based on these rankings, and vote counting occurring in rounds with candidates elected or eliminated in each round.
- Allows municipal councils to pass by-laws to adopt ranked ballot elections for their council members.
- Requires municipal councils to consult the public before voting on a ranked ballot by-law, according to any prescribed public consultation requirements.
- Requires that any by-law adopting ranked ballots, or any amendment or repeal of such a by-law, must be ratified by more than 50 per cent of the electors voting in a ratification vote.
- Establishes the process for a ratification vote, including who is eligible to vote and how the results are handled.
- States that a ratified ranked ballot by-law prevails over and can modify the application of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, and its regulations.
- Defines a ranked ballot election, including the process of ranking candidates, distributing votes, and counting them in rounds.
- Amends the City of Toronto Act, 2006, and the Municipal Act, 2001, to include these provisions.
- Municipal councils in Ontario (including the City of Toronto)
- Electors in Ontario municipalities
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council (who may prescribe public consultation requirements)
- Municipal clerks and returning officers
- Municipal councils have the power to pass by-laws for ranked ballot elections.
- Municipal councils are obligated to consult the public before voting on ranked ballot by-laws.
- Ranked ballot by-laws are ineffective until ratified by a majority of electors.
- Electors have the right to vote in a ratification referendum for ranked ballot by-laws.
- Ratified ranked ballot by-laws have precedence over the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The specific public consultation requirements that municipal councils must follow are not detailed in the bill text and are to be prescribed by regulation.
- The bill text does not specify the exact procedure for the ratification vote beyond stating that the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 applies and that the results must be published in The Ontario Gazette.
Adds a definition for 'ranked ballot election' and allows the City of Toronto to pass a by-law to adopt ranked ballot elections for its council, requiring public consultation and ratification. It also modifies existing provisions related to council powers and how they are not limited by other powers.
Source: Section 1(1), Section 8, Section 135(2), Section 152(1)
Adds a definition for 'ranked ballot election' and allows single-tier, lower-tier, and upper-tier municipalities to pass by-laws to adopt ranked ballot elections for their councils, requiring public consultation and ratification. It also modifies existing provisions related to council powers and how they are not limited by other powers.
Source: Section 1(1), Section 10, Section 11, Section 217(1), Section 218(1)
Any by-law adopted under this bill that uses ranked ballots and is ratified by electors will prevail over and may modify the application of this Act and its regulations. The provisions of this Act will apply to the taking of a ratification vote.
Source: Section 8.1(4), Section 8.1(8), Section 11.0.1(4), Section 11.0.1(8)
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
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