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Submission NOREL-0021 (Online)

Submission By Hans Norel
AddressKelowna, BC,
Organization
Date20031202
CategoryElectoral system change
Abstract
Proportional representation should be used for elections in BC.  Parties would provide a province-wide list of candidates, each candidate coming from a different area; the governing party must open offices in all areas.  [3 pages]

Submission Content
[To see this submission in its original format, see the linked document below]

Proportional Representation  
 
Why are people so dissatisfied about the elections? We blame the party leaders for the results or we give credit to them when it is not due to them, but it is not their doing that changes the political  scene.  It is the election system that we use here in Canada, the election system needs to be changed. Because of the voting system we are now using in Canada makes it so that we do not have a fair  representation at all. Look at what happened in the last provincial election  57.6 % voted Liberal which gave them 77 seats.  On the other hand 42.4 % voted for the other parties and ended up with only  2  seats out of the total of 79 seats for the provincial legislature. This shows  a party which close to 58 % of the votes did get 97.5 % of the allotted seats, as to the other parties with 42.4 % did get only 2.5 %of the allotted seats.

If this is democratic, then we should be ashamed of ourselves, that we are letting these things happen from election to election. No wonder that our voter turnout is getting lower and lower by each election, as people get more and more frustrated with the way things turn out How long will it take for the government to change this system of voting to a more democratic system. The change will not be so difficult at all.  Following find a copy of a proposal for proportional representation in elections.
 
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
 
The solution to this voting system is not as difficult, as some do make it. There is a very easy way To  accomplish this voting  system. Each person would vote for the party of his or her choice. The  Provincial parties would have a slate of  candidates selected to fill all seats if necessary and Would have them in the following order, candidate #1, candidate #2 and so on , up to candidate #75  or #79 although most likely a party would only need up to candidate #50. to be selected by their own membership. Any one who wanted to have a say in the selection of those candidates must be a member of that particular party. But one from each  riding, arranged so that there would be an average representation from all over the  province. Just to make sure that there will be at least one candidate from each region.
 
The party that would form the government would have to have a  constituency office open in each riding  after the election to form a direct link from the people to the government.   Parties not elected could have offices in places of each region if they choose to do so.
 
In the election of 1996 in B.C. there were a total of 1,582,704  votes cast. There was a total of 75 seats in the legislature. Thus it would take about 21,000  votes for one seat if everything was divided equally.  In other words it would take  21,000 votes for a party to get  one seat  in the Provincial legislature. This system would guarantee to get the best candidates a party would have to be holding a seat, for as soon as 21000 votes were cast for this party, candidate #1 would be elected. The next 21,000 votes for this party, candidate #2 would be elected and so on, till there would be not enough votes left and the
percentage would then be rounded off.
 
 Under this system all votes will count and there is hardly any waste of votes, The waste of votes is under 49/100 of a percent or less.
 
Following is a list as to what would be the outcome if this system had been used in 1996.
 
Party                     Total votes        % of vote        seats (rounded)

            
Liberals                     661,929          41.82 %          31.36  (31)  


Libertarian party            2,041          0.13 %             0.10  (0)     

               
Social Credit                 6,276         0.40 %              0.30  (0)

           
Fam.Coalition                4,150            0.26 %           0.20  (0)    

               
Green Party                35,511           1.99 %            1.49  (1) 

               
Natural Law                  2,919           0.18 %             0.14  (0)

      
New Dem. Party         624,395           39.45 %          29.59  (30)         

       
Prog.Dem. Alliance       90,797             5.74 %           4.31 (4)          

         
Reform Party B.C       146,734             9.27 %            6.94  (7)        

          
Other Affiliations        11,952              0.76 %            0.57  (1)     

              
      Totals           1,582,704            100.00    %        75    (74 + floating seat) 

Floating seat for the next highest part of a seat being  0.49 for the Green Party,

Total candidates  elected   75

          
Next  is the list as to what the results would have been if this  system had been used in 2001.

With 20,600 votes for each candidate to get a seat etc.


Liberals                  916,888             57.62 %           44.51  (45)    

       
B.C.M.                    51,206               3.23 %             2.49  (2)


Green Party            197,231              12.39 %            9.57  (10)      

   
New Dem. Party      343,156               21.56 %          16.66  (17)        

  
Unity Party              51,426                3.23 %            2.50  (3)   

Other Affiliations       31,399                1.97 %            1.52  (2)     
 
Totals                 1,591,306             100.00%           77.25  (77 + 2 floating seats)

Total candidates  elected   79

This is quite a difference as to what the results are under the old system, where the Liberal party ended up with 77 seats and  The New Dem. Party with only 2 seats not proportioned at all as to the votes cast.

We do not need all those different ridings, because if we as voters vote for the party of our choice it does not make any difference if that vote would come from Vancouver or from Fort St John it would  count the same. And in the light as we have set out before that the governing party would have to set  up offices in each region or cities or major towns, this could reduce the number of seats in the government. Instead off 5 ridings in the Okanagan, there would be 3. Such as Penticton, Kelowna, and Vernon  as an example. This could be done for the whole province on a similar basis.  Voters would still have a direct link with the government through the local office in each place.

For further questions on this subject.
E-Mail  Norelco@myexcel.ca
 
Hans  Norel
5014 Booth Rd
Kelowna, B.C. V1X-7V7
ph.250-765-6638
fax.250-765-6383

Related Links
DetailsGeneric FileProportional Representation
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