Submission CURRIE-0232 (Scanned document)

The concept of every part of the Province having a voice is still valid — even basic — and from it the idea of one body being equal to one vote has become firmly embedded in our minds.  But it need not always be so. [2 pages]

BODIES NEED NOT EQUAL VOTES; VOTES NEED NOT EQUAL BODIES

In its earliest form, representative government meant that each district or town chose one person to represent it and, when those representatives met together to make decisions, each of them had one vote.

The concept of every part of the Province having a voice is still valid — even basic — and from it the idea of one body being equal to one vote has become firmly embedded in our minds.  But it need not always he so.

Let us look at two situations where its application is questionable, if not downright foolish (the numbers used are illustrative only)

1.  Large Thinly-peopled Districts

Whenever the electoral boundaries are reviewed, the question of the large, thinly-peopled districts arises, and we decide that they need two bodies to represent them properly so they get two votes.  There should certainly be two bodies but when votes are counted each should count as one half.

This might result in the house voting 45 ½  to 31 ½ on some matter.  This is not a problem.  Indeed, there could be three half-votes districts and a total of 75 ½  votes (74 plus 3 at a ½ ) — a new idea, but the Assembly’s mandate is to look at new ideas.

2.  Proportional Representation (PR)

Proportional representation has been much talked about and if it is to have a place in our electoral process we should again consider whether the number of bodies need equal the number of votes.

Suppose the Such-and-So party is entitled to 5 PR votes (beyond any number elected by the districts), how those five votes are to be cast will he decided by the party.  Surely this is the principle of PR.  So it doesn’t need five bodies to cast the five votes; one person would be enough but considering such things as illness, perhaps there should be two, or one plus an alternate.

Summary

In summary, the Citizens’ Assembly will be weighing many  ideas and suggestions for reform of our electoral process.  This submission neither supports nor opposes any of them.  What it does is urge the Assembly to think of itself as allotting votes and not to make the error of blindly translating them one-for-one into bodies.