I am writing to express my support for the Mixed Member
Proportional Representation [MMP] option in the current
review of BC’s Electoral System.
I believe that the Free Your Vote model of 53 constituency seats
and 26 party list seats provide an equitable division between local
representation and proportionality, even though this would result
in a fifty percent increase in electoral districts. I
also endorse the Free Your Vote proposals to:
-
Require political parties to run candidates in at least 50% of
constituencies in order to qualify for list seats.
-
Require political parties to select list candidates in a
democratic way that grants every party member a say in the.
selection process.
-
Have flexible lists where a voter can choose to accept the list
as ranked or indicate a preference for a candidate within the
list.
While the existing electoral system may, questionably, have been
adequate for the narrow socio-economic issues of the 19th and 20th
centuries, it will require a broader perspective to meet the
looming problems of the 21st, and I believe that a MMP electoral
system will allow for a wider level of debate in the council
chambers of the province and, I hope, ultimately, in those of the
nation.
[Entered online from a scanned document]
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