THUNDER BAY -- Ranked ballot advocates took aim at the system's local detractors at the district's annual municipal league meeting Friday.
"You're literally counting to three so this suggestion coming from councilors or staff that it might be too complicated is actually really insulting to the average voter," said Dave Meslin, the creative director of the volunteer organization Unlock Democracy.
"We all know how to count to three -- and you don't even have to do that. On a ranked ballot if you want to pick one person, you're allowed to. No one is forcing you to rank anything."
Meslin made the comments to local media in response to public comments councilors and staff made after the issue was discussed at a non-business council meeting on Wednesday.
"There's no doubt voters will understand it," Meslin continued.
"It will be a little bit more work for the clerk's office but we pay them to do that and I think we expect our cities adn our municipalities to spend whatever money and time it takes to give usm, the voters, what we deserve."
City clerk John Hannam has expressed concern over whether public consultation and education could be completed in time to change the municipal voting system by the province's May 1, 2017 deadline.
He has, however, reserved any formal recommendation for or against abandoning the first-past-the-post system for either the instant runoff or the single transferable vote ranked balloting model.
Hannam is scheduled to present his findings to council in a Nov. 28 report.
As for Meslin, he believes Northern Ontario municipalities are in a position to take the lead among the province's 444 cities and towns.
"I think there's a bit of a mythology that innovations come from big metropolises and smaller towns and rural areas just follow along. I'd say just the opposite is true," he said.
"I think innovation starts in smaller towns because there's less bureaucracy, there's less risk aversion and I'm confident it will be the smaller towns in the north that are going to take the plunge and say, 'let's try this out.'"
