Lesson 5: Local Candidates and Issues

What is an electoral district? An electoral district is the name given to a geographical area represented by an elected representative. It is also known as a riding or constituency. The size of an electoral district is determined by population and geographical features (roads, landmarks). Urban ridings are small and heavily populated, rural ridings are large and sparsely populated.

What is an MLA? At the provincial level in Prince Edward Island, the elected representative is called a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). MLAs represent the needs and interests of their constituents (people living in their electoral district) and deal with issues at the local level. Prince Edward Island will be electing 27 MLAs in the provincial election.

How do we select our MLAs? P.E.I. uses a system called First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) for selecting MLAs. One member is selected for each electoral district. Citizens can only choose one candidate/party on the ballot. The winning candidate must receive the most number of votes.

How does our system work? Below is an example of an electoral district with 100 ballots cast in the election. CANDIDATE NUMBER OF VOTES Lisa (Banana Party) 40 Josh (Apple Party) 15 Nancy (Pear Party) 11 Norman (No Affiliation) 34 Lisa wins because she has the most votes.

How does someone run for election? A person running for election is called a candidate. Any person who wants to run in the election must submit forms with Elections P.E.I. by the nomination deadline. Political parties select candidates to run for their party in some or all of the electoral districts. Candidates can also run as an independent (or without any association to a political party). Elections P.E.I. posts the names of all candidates on their website.

Your Own Political Views Your political views are developed from your experiences, personal feelings and opinions. Your views are also shaped by talking to people whose opinions you respect, doing research in the media and by thinking about your values.

Getting to know the Candidates There are many ways to gather information about your local candidates: town hall meetings or candidate debates, radio and television advertising, newspaper and magazines, campaign offices and events, and social media. To make an informed decision, it is helpful to do some thinking about your own feelings on the topics discussed throughout the campaign.

Final Thoughts How should you evaluate candidates? What characteristics or skills do you expect from your MLA? What local issues are important to you?