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Submission WHEATLEY-0752 (Online)

Submission By Michael Wheatley
AddressVictoria, BC, Canada
Organization
Date20040626
CategoryCitizens' Assembly process, Electoral system change
Abstract
A request that the Assembly exceed its mandate by recommending the use of Alternative Vote for the 2005 provincial election. [2 pages]

Submission Content
Abstract

A request that the Assembly exceed its mandate by recommending the use of Alternative Vote for the 2005 provincial election.

Submission

I hope that a majority of Assembly members will agree that the present First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system should be replaced as soon as possible.

Alternative Vote (AV) is an improvement that can be adopted without further public consultation or referendum by any government that has any true interest in electoral reform. We have precedent for this in BC where AV was adopted for the 1952 election without significant public consultation or complaint.

Following the election in 1953, AV was replaced by FPTP and again there was no significant public consultation or complaint. As a result, FPTP has no more democratic legitimacy than AV and can be replaced by AV as the Government wishes without further public consultation.

The adoption of AV would not be a substantial change to the electoral process as it does no more than provide a better process for selecting a winner in the existing single member electoral districts. It would be a simple and generally popular improvement.

The Liberal Government used a reference to the substantial and fundamental nature of electoral reform as justification for their double 60% majority adoption formula following referendum. As AV would not be a substantial or fundamental reform, the adoption of AV should not require a public referendum before adoption.

I suggest that after the Assembly has met its mandate it should go on to exceed its mandate by recommending that Alternative Vote be adopted immediatly for use in the 2005 BC election. If the Assembly cannot effectively exceed its mandate in this way then I ask that the members of the Assembly re-group as individuals outside the Assembly and make whatever recommendations they see fit to make for the benefit of the people of BC.

Thank you for considering this.

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