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Submission KING-0825 (Online)

Submission ByProfessor Emeritus Hubert W King
AddressSalt Spring Island, BC,
Organization
Date20040712
CategoryElectoral system change
Abstract
A recommendation for MMP with AV for constitutency seats to deal with the two basic shortcomings of our present system: the lack of representation and the lack of a majority vote for elected representatives. [1 page]

Submission Content

This brief letter is to add my wholehearted support to the concept of a mixed member proportional representation [MMP] voting system for electing members to the BC Legislature, with the addition of a transferable voting system for the constituency representatives.

Our present electoral system was designed for a previous two-party age. It does not produce a truly representative assembly, nor is each individual member elected by a true majority. Single proportional representation systems have been shown to be great in theory, but not to have worked so well in situations where there are many political parties. The mixed member proportional representation system, used in our sister country New Zealand, has been shown to be very effective in providing a representative assembly that is truly workable.

Our other sister country Australia uses a transferable vote system [preferential voting, AV] which guarantees that each and every member is truly elected by a majority of the constituency. Since the Citizens' Assembly is taking a great amount of trouble to get it right, may I suggest that the constituency seats in a mixed member proprtional reprepresentation system be elected by a transferable vote, so that the two basic shortcomings of our present system can both be addressed - the lack of representation and the lack of a majority vote for elected representatives.

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