English politics professor David Farrell is set to deliver a public lecture on the subject 'Bermuda's Electoral System - Problems and Solutions' next week.

The aim, according to the Association for Due Process and the Constitution which is sponsoring the event, is to "expand the debate" on Constitutional reform.

"The Association believes that to date, insufficient reasoning has been provided by the political parties and Government as to their positions so that Bermudians may adopt one approach or another on a rational basis," the Association said in a press release yesterday.

"Indeed, there is no evidence at all of popular agreement on the subject, and the British Government has not followed established practice in holding a Constitutional Conference so as to try to produce agreement."

Dr. Farrell, who has advised the Jenkins Commission on electoral reform in the United Kingdom, will analyse Bermuda's current system and describe some other systems in use around the world.

The Association also plans to publish sample submissions in next week's newspapers which the public can use in making their submissions to the Boundaries Commission.

The Boundaries Commission was charged by an Order in Council last year to come up with recommendations on the number, and boundaries of, a revamped single seat electoral system. It is required to seek input from the public and the first of a series of public meetings will be held at the end of the month.

Once the report is completed and debated in the House of Assembly, the British Government will decide whether further public consultation - in the form of a referendum or conference - is necessary.

However the Association, which insists that a Constitutional Conference must be held before changing the Constitution, says that all proceedings of the Boundaries Commission should be held in public.

And it is now focusing on educating the public on electoral system and making it easier for people to participate in the process - a strategy which it hopes will expand the debate and lead to a Constitutional Conference.

"The sample submission is a template for writing to the Boundaries Commission, so that the public can have an easy, multiple-choice means of giving their views to the Boundaries Commission as provided by law."

The free public lecture will be held at the Cathedral Hall at 7.30 p.m. on January 18. Dr. Farrell is currently in the finishing stages of a book on Australia's electoral systems and is also involved in a project on the European Parliament electoral systems.