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Nova Scotia Electoral System

This section provides information on Nova Scotia’s electoral system. Specific topics include:

• Who can vote in the election?
• Who can be a candidate?
• Single-member plurality voting system
• How is an election called?
• What rules are their on campaign finances?

Who can Vote in the Election?

To vote in the provincial elections you must be:

• Canadian citizen or British Subject (citizen of a commonwealth country)
• 18 years or older on election day
• have lived in Nova Scotia for 6 months or more before the date that the election was called.

Who can be a Candidate in the Election?

In order to be nominated as a candidate you must be:

• 18 years of age
• a Canadian citizen
• not disqualified to be a candidate or MLA under the Elections Act, House of Assembly Act or any other Provincial act

Nova Scotia Elections Act
House of Assembly Act

Single-Member Plurality System

Like the rest of Canada, the Nova Scotia electoral system is a single-member plurality system. Under this system, the province is divided in geographical constituencies or ridings. Political parties generally run a candidate in each constituency. The candidate with the most votes wins and becomes the representative of that constituency and a member in provincial legislature. The political party with the most members in the provincial legislature forms the new government. Usually, the leader of that party becomes the premier. The party with the second most seats in the legislature becomes the official opposition.

The single-member plurality system differs from alternative electoral systems such as proportionate representation. Under proportionate representation, the province is not divided into geographically defined constituencies. Instead, voters are presented with a list of provincial candidates who have an affiliation with a political party. Voters rank their preferences (by party, by candidate or by both) from that list. Candidates are elected according to the percentage of the vote their party received and their ranking on the voting list. For example, if the Liberal Party wins 40 percent of the popular vote, they receive 40 percent of seats in the legislature. Individual candidates are elected according to their ranking on the election lists.

The single-member plurality system is often criticized because it distorts the number of seats a political party receives relative to the popular vote it receives. For example, a political party may only receive 40 percent of the vote, yet capture 60 percent of the seats in the legislature (this has been the situation in recent years with the federal Liberal Party). Similarly, a political party may receive 20 percent of the vote, but only 5 percent of the seats (this has been the situation with the federal New Democratic Party in recent years).

Advocates of proportionate representation argue that their electoral system is better because it results equitable distribution of seats along popular support. In other words, the actual choice of the voters is better represented in the outcome of the election. However, supporters of single-member plurality argue that their system is better because is generally results in strong majority governments that can govern effectively, as opposed to weak minority or coalition governments. Furthermore, the single-member plurality system provides for direct representation through voter constituencies. Under single-member plurality a member of legislature represents a small geographical area. Under proportionate representation a member represents the whole province.

Mapleleafweb Feature on Electoral Systems and Electoral Reform

How is an Election Called?

The premier generally makes the decision to call the election. However, an election may be forced if the government looses a vote on a money bill in the legislature. The premier asks the Governor in Council of the province pass an order setting the date of the election writ and the date of the election. The Chief Electoral Officer then issues a writ of election to the Returning Officer for each electoral district in the province. The writ instructs the Returning Officers to conduct the election in their respective electoral districts.

What are the Campaign Finance Rules?

Candidates and political parties must adhere to several rules with regards to the financing of their campaign:

• There are limits on how much a candidate and political party can spend on an election
• Any contribution over $50.00 must be publicly disclosed

Nova Scotia Campaign Finance Information

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This page was last modified: August 10, 2007