Electoral Changes
I wish to draw attention to the decline in the rate of voter
participation in general elections, suggest some reasons for this
decline and point to ways that may entice the electorate to
exercise its franchise. These are personal observations from one
who has never belonged to a political party but who was moved to
work on a recall campaign. That experience exposed how people view
our political system and what motivates them to take action.
Firstly, I would point out that we must change the system so
that citizens feel there is some accountability on the part of
politicians. That is, promises made during election campaigns must
be fully explained so that people understand how particular
policies will affect their lives. Secondly citizens must have a
direct say in the formation of policy. Too many people
say “They’re all the same”
meaning politicians are by nature corrupt and the voter is held
hostage. So long as the electorate is able to point the finger at
someone else and not take responsibility for enacted legislation I
see no hope for change in that attitude.
One way to accomplish this would be to have elections that are a
combination of voting for MLA’s and particular budgets.
Since a preset election date is already established sometime prior
to that date an independent audit of the province’s
finances could be done. On the basis of that audit each political
party could draw up a budget and present it to the public. Every
voter could then have the opportunity to choose one of the
presented budgets as well as select an MLA. This would force
politicians to honestly present and promote the policies they
believe in. It would also give the electorate a sense that their
vote was meaningful and that politicians were indeed working on
their behalf.
In the case where the electorate endorsed a budget presented by
one party but elected a majority of members from another party it
would behoove the politicians to either work to implement the
endorsed budget, relinquish power to another party or resign their
seat. Imagine how different a legislature would be if both
opposition and government members were beholden to implement the
citizen’s will.
I am sure that your experience in studying various electoral
systems will enable you to consider variations of this suggestion.
I urge you to consider that it is only when people feel their vote
makes a difference that they are motivated to participate. Citizens
must also come to take responsibility for the manner in which they
vote and see the government as reflecting
“us” not
“them”.
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