Submission SIMON-0460 (Online)

We need an electoral system [PR] where all voters views are represented in the legislature, rather than one that favours local representation at the expense of ignoring the views of so many, especially young people. [3 pages]

As a young British Columbian, I am deeply concerned about the failure of politicians and the political system in B.C. to engage people of my generation. While voter apathy is on the rise in general, it is particularly notable among members of my generation. Only about one in four young British Columbians bother to vote. In this regard, I am not a typical member of my generation. I vote at every opportunity I am given. I am politically informed and engaged, as are many of my friends. But as a young person, I experience many of the same frustrations and difficulties that turn so many young people off of politics completely. I would like to share some of my experience with you.

While I don't think that the high rate of voter apathy among young people can be attributed to one factor alone, I think that a fairly significant factor is our antiquated first past the post electoral system. When I talk to people my age about why they don't vote, there are two answers that come up most frequently; 'My vote doesn't matter.' And 'Politicians are crooks and liars.'

The first answer is really the hardest to argue against. Quite honestly, under a first past the post system, I know that most votes don't count; over 50% of votes don't go toward electing someone. Any voter who casts their ballot for someone other than the winning candidate in their riding might as well have stayed home on Election Day. For young people, who are more inclined to support someone other than the incumbent, and parties other than the mainstream parties, this is particularly frustrating. They are repeatedly told by the media and the mainstream politicians that the candidate or party they are inclined to support hasn't got a chance of winning. Is it any wonder they stay home from the polls? Worse yet, those that do take the time to vote feel the sting of this message even more harshly. Too many young people I know that vote in every election have yet to vote for a winning candidate; they feel their vote has never made a difference. Furthermore, those that do choose to vote often feel they have to hold their nose and vote strategically for one of the two front runners; they are inevitably left feeling dissatisfied by their voting experience. Those that don't vote for a frontrunner are often made to feel guilty for 'splitting the vote'. A move to a proportional system would address many if not all of these issues. Almost every vote would count toward electing someone. People would be able to vote with their consciences, and there would be no guilt about 'vote splitting'. If we are to stop turning off those young people that do vote, let alone attracting more young people to the polls, the need for change is urgent.

As for the assertion that 'Politicians are crooks and liars', like all sweeping generalizations, it is easy to poke holes in. But there is also no shortage of evidence that corruption and dishonesty are major problems in politics. While it is hard to point to a single contributing factor, I think it is important to consider the role of our electoral system in aggravating this problem. The first past the post system is an absolute power system, and the old saying 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' applies very well. With 40-45% of the vote, a party can win over half of the seats, which gives them 100% of the power for the next four years, giving them the unfettered discretion to pursue a program that may have the support of less than half of voters. Worse still, as was seen in B.C.'s last general election, the support of more than half of voters resulted in a lopsided victory where the over 40% of British Columbians that did not vote for the winning party were represented by only two seats, and we were denied even the much needed check and balance of having an official opposition.

The first past the post system tends to favor large mainstream parties that are well financed by the donations of special interest groups, not parties that are responsive to the concerns of the individual. A move to a more proportional system is not in and of itself sufficient to restore the faith of young voters (campaign finance reform and other measures are also needed). But it will make government accountable to over 50% of the electorate, and it will introduce the checks and balances of a minority or coalition government system or a strong opposition, and these are important steps to restoring the faith of all voters, and young people in particular, in the system.

While the Citizen's Assembly has put a lot of emphasis on the importance of local representation, I can say from my own experience that this is far less important to young people than proportionality, for a number of reasons. First of all, young people are often extremely mobile, moving frequently as they take up new jobs, head off to college, etc. Over the course of one four-year election cycle, they may live in several constituencies, and not have a particularly strong identification with any one of them. Also, young people are likely to be far more interested in having their views represented in the legislature by a party or candidate whose stance they agree with, than a local representative who may or may not be willing to listen to their concerns. Quite frankly, my own experience has been that many MLA's are more interested in representing their party's views to their constituents than vice versa. If you don't happen to agree with their party's views on the matter, then they are not very interested in your concerns. In this regard, our province would be far better served by an electoral system where all voters views are represented in the legislature, rather than a system that favors local representation at the expense of ignoring the views of so many, especially young people. We might also begin to see more young people elected, which is essential, if we are to overcome the generation gap that exists between most young people and their MLA's.

Young people are also turned off by a variety of other factors, including the lack of diversity of our elected representatives, the negative campaigning that is inherent in a system where so much hangs on small swings in the vote, and the wild swings from left to right that come with a change in government. I feel that the Citizens' Assembly can make a big step toward beginning to address these issues by recommending a more proportional voting system for British Columbia. I have no delusions that Proportional Representation is a magic formula that will cure our political ills. But it is a first step in a series of changes that we need to make if we are to enjoy the vigorous, healthy, representative democracy that we need.

I would urge the Assembly to choose the proportional voting system that is most likely to garner the support of the most British Columbians. It is better to advocate a cautious reform that is likely to pass the referendum than a bold reform that is likely to fail. A successful proposal will put us on the path for democratic renewal, while unsuccessful proposal will merely guarantee the continued disenfranchisement of youth.

In closing, I would like to express one serious concern with the proposed electoral reform process. While I realize that a major reform in our electoral system should require the support of more than a simple majority of voters, I feel that the requirement of 60% support to pass the Assembly's proposal is setting the bar unnecessarily high. There is a certain irony in allowing slightly over 40% of the electorate to block a change a first past the post system which usually only represents the view of slightly over 40% of the electorate. I would ask that the Assembly consider their ability to recommend to the government a change in the referendum formula to a more reasonable requirement. If the Assembly's proposal fails with significantly more than 50% support, it will only further disenfranchise young people and others whose voices are not being heard, and it runs the risk that the whole Citizens' Assembly process will have done more harm than good.