Saskatoon used STV for city elections 1921-1926, 1938-1942 - history and info sources (Saskatoon Archives)
- Tom Monto
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
following is response from City of Saskatoon Archives about what materials they have on that city's use of PR, which was back in 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
The "result sheet"s listed would be of especial interest.
appears Saskatoon had plebiscite on PR in 1920
used PR for city election 1921-1926
plebiscite on end of PR in 1924 -- unsuccessful
plebiscite on end of PR in 1926 -- successful
PR dropped
plebiscite on return to PR in 1930 -- unsuccessful
plebiscite on return to PR in 1936 -- unsuccessful
1937 plebiscite in favour of return - successful
1938-1941 STV used.
1941 plebiscite majority voted to end PR
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City of Saskatoon Archives :
The City Charter of 1906 provided for election of the Mayor and City
File No: 1007 - 87
Accession No: S89-4
Level:
File
Location: 16.5.5 - Boxes 1-2
Part of: 1007
Minutes of a joint meeting of Proportional Representation League and the Council to draft system for proportional representation. -- 1938. --
ca. 4 pp of textual records.
Scope and Content:
This file contains minutes of a special committee of Council.
Finding Aids:
Contents of the file are mixed with other files in the series in chronological order.
Minutes begin folder 9 pp. 7, 35.
Subjects:
civic elections
File No: 1024
Accession No: S85-204
1998-002
1998-012
2015-032
Level:
Series
Location: Main Stacks - 4.2 - FIX
19.3.5
Part of: CLE
Elections Series. -- 1909 - 1985. -- 2.08 m of textual records - FIX.
Admin History/Bio:
The City Charter of 1906 provided for election of the Mayor and City Councillors by wards, in which the city is divided into several constituencies each represented by one or more Council members.
The ward system was used from 1906-1920. Wards were abolished after the 1920 election. During the 1921-1926 and 1938-1941 elections, a system of proportional representation using a single, transferable ballot was tried in which voters ranked their choices in order of preference.
Saskatoon returned to using the ward system for the 1970-1985 elections, went back to the at-large system in 1988 and 1991, and returned to the [single-member] ward system for 1994 to the present.
(For more information on voting systems see the General Note, below)
Scope and Content:
Series consists of voters lists, and files containing concerning municipal elections and voting on bylaws as well as general files on polling subdivisions, instructions for voters, newspaper clippings and ballot papers. Voters lists for 1945-1950 do not appear in the files.
In 1920, the procedure for compiling voters lists was changed to allow new property owners added since the last assessment roll was compiled (whose names would therefore not be on the final revised list) to be added to the list.
____________________________________________
Notes:
General Note:
Under the "proporational representation" [proportional representation] system, each voter cast what was called a "single transferable vote", placing a "1" beside his first choice, a "2" beside his second choice and so on. When the ballots were counted, the first choices were counted first and the total number of ballots cast were thus ascertained.
A quota was then arrived at by dividing the total number of votes cast by the number of candidates to be elected, plus one, and adding one to the result. Thus, if 2200 votes were cast and ten aldermen were to be elected, the quota would be 2200 divided by 11, or 200, plus one, making it 201. Any candidates receiving 201 first choices would then be
declared elected.
When a candidate reached his quota his excess votes were redistributed according to this supporters' second choices. The ballot counting process could go through several cycles before a council was elected.
Most people did not fully understand this complicated voting system.
See also: Acc. 2000-005 - 1988 Voters List
File No: 1029-1279
Accession No:
See series entry
Level:
File
Location: 2.5.3 - Box 14
Part of: 1029
Bylaw 1279 - Proportional Representation, re adoption of. -- December 19, 1920. -- 1 file of textual records.
File No: 1029-1465
Accession No:
See series entry
Level:
File
Location: 2.5.3 - Box 16
Part of: 1029
Bylaw 1465 - Proportional Representation, to provide for rescission of. -- November 4,
1923. -- 1 folder of textual records.
File No: 1029-1672
Accession No:
See series entry
Level:
File
Location:
2.5.3 - Box 18
Part of: 1029
Bylaw 1672 - Proportional Representation, to provide for the rescission of the system of in Municipal Elections. -- December 19, 1926. -- 1 folder of textual records.
File No: 1029-2113
Accession No:
See series entry
Level:
File
Location: 2.5.4 - Box 22
Part of: 1029
Bylaw 2113 - A Bylaw to provide for the adoption of a system of Proportional
Representation in Municipal Elections. -- October 26, 1930. -- 1 file of textual records.
File No: 1029-2496
Accession No:
See series entry
Level:
File
Location: 2.5.4 - Box 26
Part of: 1029
Bylaw 2496 - A Bylaw to provide for submitting to the vote of the electors a Municipal
Question (Proportional Representation). -- October 12, 1936. -- 1 file of textual records.
File No: 1029-2536
Accession No:
See series entry
Level:
File
Location: 2.5.4 - Box 26
Part of: 1029
Bylaw 2536 - A Bylaw to provide for the adoption of a system of Proportional
Representation in Municipal Elections. -- October 24, 1937. -- 1 file of textual records.
File No: 1029-2548
Accession No:
See series entry
Level:
File
Location: 2.5.4 - Box 27
Part of: 1029
Bylaw 2548 - A Bylaw to provide for the adoption of the system of Proportional
Representation known as the single transferable vote for the election of the Mayor and Alderman -- October 10, 1938. -- 1 file of textual records.
File No: 1029-2744
Accession No:
See series entry
Level:
File
Location: 3.2.7 - Box 29
Part of: 1029
Bylaw 2744 - A Bylaw to provide for the [rescession?] of the system of Proportional Representation known as the single transferable vote for the election of the Mayor and Alderman. -- October 26, 1941. -- 1 file of textual records.
File No: 1069 - 1030
Accession No: 93-002-29
Level:
File
Part of: 1069
Old File No: 288
Proportional Representation. -- 1923, 1936-1947. -- 9 cm of textual records.
Scope and Content:
File consists of records relating to the use of Proportional Representation system of voting for municipal elections and includes correspondence with various proponents of the system, information brochures and newsletters, and a list of related City bylaws and dates.
Subjects: Proportional Representation League
O'Hare System [Hare system STV]
Municipal elections
File No: 1069b-1946-227
Accession No: 2009-011
Level:
File
Location:
Microfilm - Roll 1946 - 5
Part of: 1069b
Odometer No: 31
Old File No: 288
Proportional Representation. -- 1946.
-- 1 file of textual records : microfilm ; 16 mm.
File No: 1069b-1951-185
Accession No: 2009-011
Level:
File
Location: Microfilm Cabinet - Roll 1951 - 5
Part of: 1069b
Odometer No: 120
Old File No: 280
Proportional Representation. -- 1951. -- 1 file of textual records : microfilm ; 16 mm.
File No: 1200 - 0342
Accession No: 2004 - 005
Level:
File
Location: 1200 - Box 89
Part of: 1200
Old File No: 288
Voting system - Proportional representation. -- 1938, 1943. -- 1 cm of textual records.
Scope and Content:
This file consists of reports, excerpts of meeting minutes and related correspondence regarding the debate and passing of Bylaws to change the system of election of the City Council.
Provenance
Office of the City Commissioner
File No: D500 - IX - 89
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
File
Location: 1.3.3
Part of: D500 - IX
Elections - Proportional Representation (288). -- 1921-1922. -- 2.5 cm of textual
records.
File No: D500 - IX - 90
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
File
Location: 1.3.3
Part of: D500 - IX
Elections - Proportional Representation (288). -- 1922. -- 3 mm of textual records.
File No: D500 - IX - 93
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
File
Location: 1.3.3
Part of: D500 - IX
Elections - Proportional Representation (288). -- 1923-1924. -- 1 mm of textual records.
File No: D500 - IX - 104
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
File
Location: 1.3.3
Part of: D500 - IX
Elections - Proportional Representation 288). -- 1928-1929. -- 1 mm of textual records.
File No: D500 - IX - 173
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
File
Location: 1.3.4
Part of: D500 - IX
Petitions - Proportional Representation (286). -- 1923. -- 2 mm of textual records.
File No: D500 - VI - 397
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
File
Location: 1.2.6
Part of: D500 - VI
Bylaws - Proportional Representation (288). -- 1920. -- 3.1 cm of textual records.
Notes:
File No: D500 - VI - 398
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
File
Location: 1.2.6
Part of: D500 - VI
Bylaws - Proportional Representation (288). -- 1926. -- 3 mm of textual records.
File No: D500 - X - 127
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
File
Location: 1.3.4
Part of: D500 - X
Proportional Representation League (288). -- 1925-1926. -- 1 mm of textual records.
File No:
D500 - XV - OS - 1923-8
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
Item
Location:
Oversize
Part of: D500 - XV
Petitions re proportional representation. -- 1923. -- 25 items.
See also:
Item(s) removed from D500 - IX - 173.
File No: D500 - XV - OS - 1925-15
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
Item
Location:
D500 Oversize box #5 - 18.2.6
Part of: D500 - XV
Proportional Representation Election Result Sheets, December, 1925. -- 1925. -- 6 items.
See also:
Item(s) removed from D500 - IX - 95.
File No: D500 - XV - OS - 1926-5
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
Item
Location:
Oversize
Part of: D500 – XV
==============================
The Proportional Representation Election, 1926 - Result Sheet - Mayor. -- 1926. -- 2
items.
See also:
Item(s) removed from D500 - IX - 98.
File No: D500 - XV - OS - 1926-6
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
Item
Location:
Oversize
Part of: D500 - XV
The Proportional Representation Election, 1926 - Result Sheet- Public School Trustees. --
1926. -- 1 item.
See also:
Item(s) removed from D500 - IX - 98.
File No: D500 - XV - OS - 1926-7
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
Item
Location:
Oversize
Part of: D500 - XV
____________________________________________
P.R. Elections - 1926. Mayor. -- 1926. -- 1 item.
Provenance
City Clerks
See also:
Item(s) removed from D500 - IX - 98.
Subjects:
Proportional Representation
File No: D500 - XV - OS - 1926-12
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
Item
Location:
Oversize
Part of: D500 - XV
The Proportional Representation Election, [191-] Result Sheet.. -- 1926. -- 1 item.
See also:
Item(s) removed from D500 - IX - 98.
File No: D500 - XV - OS - 1926-16
Accession No: S85-204
Level:
Item
Location:
Oversize
Part of: D500 - XV
____________________________________________
The Proportional Representation Election 1926. Result Sheet, Public School Trustees..
-- 1926. -- 1 item.
See also:
Item(s) removed from D500 - IX – 98
[end of list -- last item has no locational clues]
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