Referendum commissioner defending public education efforts against critics

P.E.I.'s referendum commissioner is defending the job he's done educating Islanders about electoral reform, sayinghe's qualified to do itand that hiring extra people to help would've been "wastingtaxpayer's money."

That defence comes in response to two groups campaigning in support of reform, who say commissioner Gerard Mitchellisn't educating Islanders as effectively as possible.

Anna Keenan, a volunteer with the Proportional Representation Action Team, points to the Referendum P.E.I. website and print handouts, whichshe saidare too "text heavy" and "difficult to understand."

"His background and expertise is in the legal profession. So he's doing a great job of enforcing the rules of the referendum act," said Keenan. "He should be self aware of his lack of expertise in public education, and with his budgethe probably could have hired some teachers to make the information much more accessible."

Commissioner free to spend as required

When the P.E.I. government appointed Mitchell as commissionerlastfall, he was told to spend as much as is required to educate Islanders on the two voting options: the current first-past-the-post system, and a mixed-member proportional system.

Mitchell saidon top of the$150,000passed along to the two registered Yesand Nocampaigns for advertising,his office has spent between $150,000 and $250,000.

That's gone towards hiring an office manager and part-time communications director, holding roughly20 public information sessions, printing pamphlets sent to all Island householdsand developing a Referendum P.E.I. website and social media platform.

Another group Vote Yes P.E.I.has also been critical of Mitchell's efforts, saying he "should be doing more."

'I know what I need to do'

But Mitchell saidthere's beenno need for additional spending, or to hire anyone else to help educate Islanders.

He added while most of his career has been spent as a lawyer and judge,he did teach schoolin the 1960s, and Seniors College in more recent years.

"So I think I've fit well [into this role].I know what I need to do to deliver on the two voting options," said Mitchell.

Sometimes it takes more words than people care to deal with. Gerard Mitchell, Referendum Commissioner

The commissioner saidwhile some of the material on the Referendum P.E.I. websiteand printed handouts is wordy, that's what's required to explain the two voting systems.

"We want to make sure that it's complete and detailed and exact, and sometimes ittakes more words than people care to deal with," he said.

KeenansaidReferendum P.E.I. should be using more visual aids, and running mock electionsto help people understand the two voting systems as her volunteer group did in the lead upto the 2016 plebiscite on electoral reform.

"I think that the referendum commissioner could have and should have taken those sorts of actions ... engaging more people," she said.

Commissioner not to blame, says No campaign

Mitchell has said he's been disappointed with the low turnout at most of his public information sessionsand the level of engagement overall.

John Barrett, the spokesperson for NoWhat to Votethe registered group campaigning against electoral reform saidthe commissioner is hardly to blame for that lack of engagement early on.

"The referendum office did offer a series of public meetings from one end of P.E.I. to the other.Unfortunately, they were very poorly attended," said Barrett.

"I think that just reflects that the general public was not really interested in the question earlier on.And once the election was called, people started to realize 'Oh yeah, we've got the referendum thing too.We better find out about that.'"

Mitchell agrees Islanders seem to be showing more interest in the referendumas voting day draws closer.

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