You've hear this term bantered about. You're not quite sure what it means but it has scared you enough that you don't want to go to the polls. There is no way you are going to commit that dastardly sin. It must be said, nothing or nobody should ever prevent you from voting. Do not be afraid, vote splitting is a by-product of democracy. And yes, it often favours the incumbent. There are ways to diminish it's power but that is for discussion after the election.
On with the explanation:
Let's imagine there is a Ward with 17,200 eligible voters.
There are (7), seven, candidates in this ward. Whether it is because there is no incumbent or a large amount of dissatisfaction among the people, does not matter. Several candidates, one winner.
Only 8,100 people vote.
The winning candidate receives 2,900 votes.
This means 5,200 citizens voted against the winner.
The individual elected gets the position of Councillor with only 17% of the total vote at large. (Ugh!)
This is vote-splitting in a nutshell. It happens. It is particularly prevalent where there is low voter turnout. While some people believe it only helps the winner, I'll argue it hurts them. How does an individual feel confident in their victory, their voice, when only 17% of voters elected him/her? While he/she has won their ward, they can never claim they have the support of most people.
The first step to decrease the power of vote splitting is to VOTE. The candidate best representing your ideals and your vision for Windsor needs your VOTE.
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