I strongly support revising our current BC electoral system. A
new system should facilitate proportional representation of popular
opinion and maintain a degree of direct accountability. We should
strive towards the most elegant, and simple solution that will
achieve this. MMP appears to be the best option available, and I
urge members of the Citizen's Assembly to adopt this in their
reccommendations.
Proportional Representation
The implication of proportional representation is that each vote
will count. The result of this is an elimination of the need for
'tactical voting'. Tactical voting is a sicken dilemna which voters
face, and it is a sign of a very unhealthy process when individuals
aren't voting for what they actually want. Eliminating this will
would certainly stimulate more voter turnout.
Furthermore I believe proportional representation will lead to a
governance system that is at the same time more adaptable and more
stable! These are not mutually exclusive properties. Our current
FPTP, winner-takes-all, voting process results in unstable swings
between two major parties while effectively excluding all other
parties from having a voice for change. By excluding the emergence
of small parties, we eliminate new alternatives, thus entrenching a
bipolar status quo and reducing our societal adaptability.
Among the voting options considered MMP seems like the best choice
for achieving this desired proportional representation.
Direct Accountability
While desiring a proportional representation of their values at the
provincial level, constituents also desire direct representation of
their personal interests. A MMP system would also acheive this
through the directly elected MLAs. In an MMP there would be some
MLAs who would not have direct region relationships to constituents
and would not be directly elected. This lack of direct
accountability is a cause for some concern however it is an
acceptable trade-off since it allows proportional representation,
and it still maintains the more important relationship of each
citizen having a representative.
Elegance and Simplicity
A good measure of more ultimately successful systems is that they
are achive their primary purpose with a minimum of complexity.
Although MMP is more complex than our current FPTP system, it is
still transparent and easilly understood. Other options considered
such as STV and the Preferential-Plus fail in this category.
Preferential-Plus especially so. It proposing a combination of two
electoral systems applied differentially across the province. To
justify such a system there would have to a very strong
argument backing up its neccessity. After reading the detailed
proposal for Preferential-Plus I was not convinced in the benefits
of this system, and I question the fairness of imposing different
electoral processes on different people.
Conclusion
I am excited about the opportunity for change in the BC politcal
system, and see MMP as the system which will bring fair
representation and retain accountability in a elegant manner. I
urge members of the Citizen's Assembly to adopt this in their
reccommendations.
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