American citizens are headed to the polls this spring not to vote for the politicians who will be/remain in office but to pick which politicians will run in November. Canadian voters rely on their parties to pick their party nominees.
As a recent example, in the Ontario Progressive Conservatives leadership race, the regular voters didn't get a chance to nominate someone. The party dues paying members were the ones who got to vote.
Doug Ford narrowly pulls out victory in Ontario Progressive Conservatives leadership race
As someone who have written about politics on both sides of the border, here's a compare and contrast with the voting responsibilities of their citizens.
Governor — Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick will vote in elections this year that will produce premiers, but Canadians don't directly elect premiers. The party leader with the most members of provincial parliament (MPP) (or who can form government) gets to be premier.
Lieutenant Governor — The Canadian version is appointed as the representative of the Queen. The U.S. version is the successor should something happen to the governor.
Secretary of State — Canadians don't have an equivalent to this title. In some U.S. states, this person is the successor should something happen to the governor.
Attorney General — The Minister of Justice is part of the cabinet of the premier. That person is also a member of parliament.
Comptroller/Treasurer — There is no Canadian equivalent to this title and certainly not someone who is elected.
U.S. Representative — This comes up every 2 years in the United States but 4 years in Canada. U.S. voters have to vote twice, once in the primary and then again in November. Many of the Congressional races have little to any opposition due to gerrymandering of districts.
U.S. Senator — Each state gets 2 senators and they serve for 6 years, so not every election has a race in this category. Canadian senators are appointed not elected.
State Representative — The state representatives run every 2 years. You vote for your MPP every 4 years. The MPPs vote for who becomes premier.
State Senator — None of the Canadian provinces have a Senate. In the U.S., state senators are elected every 2 years.
Judges — U.S. voters vote for local judges. Canadian voters aren't involved in the process.
There are county races that are similar in vein between the 2 countries.
This is not a presidential year; otherwise, there would be a space for presidential candidates. You can only vote in one party. Some states require you to be registered with a specific party to vote in that party's primary.
Canadians don't vote for prime minister. They vote for members of Parliament (MPs). Similar to the premier, the party leader with the most MPs (or who can form government) gets to be prime minister.
Citizens from each side can look across the border and see advantages. Canadians can see where more power rests in the individual American voter. Americans can see fewer races and fewer elections in Canada.
Given that premiers and prime ministers also have to be part of the legislative branch makes having "mavericks" less likely to run a province or the country.
Canadians are more likely to elect governments that are accountable since they have full power. Americans have more of a checks-and-balances system that feels more theoretical than what we currently see.
CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage
Being registered to vote in Canada is a lot easier; keeping your right to vote in Canada is virtually ironclad. Elections Canada has the strength to run elections in a fair manner. There were shenanigans in 2011 linked back to the Conservatives with phone calls telling voters their voting place had been switched when that wasn't true.
The Supreme Court of Canada this week will hear a case to the harsh enforcement by the Harper government in 2015 that prohibited Canadians from voting if they lived outside Canada for more than 5 years.
In the United States, a lot of people who have the legal right to vote in the United States are being deprived of their voting rights.
The national voting age in both countries is 18. British Columbia is examining the idea of lowering that age to 16. Several countries, including Nicaragua and Austria, have lowered their voting age to 16.
photo credit: here
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