Bill 80 explained in plain English
Local Choice for Local Elections Act (Ranked Ballot By-Laws), 2021
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 2nd 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 permits Ontario municipalities to adopt ranked ballot elections for local councils, provided the decision is ratified by a majority of voters in a referendum and follows public consultation.
This bill, known as the Local Choice for Local Elections Act (Ranked Ballot By-Laws), 2021, would allow municipal councils in Ontario to pass by-laws to adopt a ranked ballot system for electing their members. A ranked ballot election means voters rank candidates in order of preference, and votes are counted in rounds. Before voting on such a by-law, councils must consult the public according to any requirements set by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. Any by-law to adopt ranked ballots must be ratified by more than 50 per cent of the voters in a municipal referendum. If ratified, these by-laws will take precedence over and may alter the application of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The bill also clarifies that the Chief Electoral Officer's duties under the Municipal Elections Act apply to ranked ballot elections.
- Allows municipal councils in Ontario to pass by-laws to adopt ranked ballot elections for the election of their members.
- Defines a ranked ballot election as one where voters rank candidates by preference, and votes are counted in multiple rounds.
- Requires municipal councils to consult the public before voting on a by-law to adopt ranked ballots, following any requirements set by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- Mandates that any by-law adopting a ranked ballot election must be ratified by more than 50 per cent of the electors voting in a referendum.
- States that a ratified by-law for ranked ballots prevails over and can modify the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, and its regulations.
- Clarifies that the Chief Electoral Officer's responsibilities under the Municipal Elections Act apply to ranked ballot elections.
- Municipal councils in Ontario (including the City of Toronto)
- Electors in Ontario municipalities that adopt ranked ballot by-laws
- The Chief Electoral Officer
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council (regarding regulation of public consultation requirements)
- Municipal councils have the power to pass by-laws to adopt ranked ballot elections.
- Municipal councils must consult the public before voting on ranked ballot by-laws, according to any prescribed requirements.
- Ranked ballot by-laws must be ratified by a majority of electors voting in a referendum.
- Ranked ballot by-laws, once ratified, prevail over and can modify the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
- The Chief Electoral Officer's responsibilities under the Municipal Elections Act apply to ranked ballot elections.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The bill does not explicitly mention financial or tax impacts.
- The bill does not specify penalties for non-compliance, but rather outlines procedures for by-law adoption and ratification.
- The specific public consultation requirements are not detailed in the bill itself but are to be prescribed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- The bill does not specify the frequency or timing of referendums for ratification, beyond the requirement that a day be fixed for the vote.
- The bill does not specify which types of municipalities (single-tier, lower-tier, upper-tier) can adopt ranked ballots beyond what is outlined in its amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001.
Adds a definition for "ranked ballot election" and allows the City of Toronto to pass a by-law to adopt ranked ballot elections for city council. It also establishes requirements for public consultation before voting on such a by-law and mandates ratification by electors. It also modifies how certain powers are exercised regarding by-laws.
Source: Section 1(1), Section 8(2.1), 8(2.2), 8(2.3), 8(4), Section 8.1, Section 135(2), Section 152(1)
Adds a definition for "ranked ballot election" and allows single-tier municipalities to pass by-laws for ranked ballot elections, and lower-tier and upper-tier municipalities to do the same. It establishes requirements for public consultation before voting on such by-laws and mandates ratification by electors. It also modifies how certain powers are exercised regarding by-laws.
Source: Section 1(1), Section 10(2.1), 10(2.2), 10(2.3), Section 11(4.1), 11(4.2), 11(4.3), Section 11(5), Section 11.0.1, Section 217(1), Section 218(1)
Provides clarity that the Chief Electoral Officer's functions and responsibilities under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, apply to ranked ballot elections under the City of Toronto Act, 2006, and the Municipal Act, 2001.
Source: Section 3(3.1)
Provisions of this Act apply to the process of voting on the ratification of a ranked ballot by-law. Ratified ranked ballot by-laws prevail over and may modify the application of this Act and its regulations.
Source: Section 8.1(4), 8.1(8), 11.0.1(4), 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.
Official textProcess Snapshot
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.
How this data is sourced