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Submission PANNEKOEK-0667 (Online)

Submission By Hanny Pannekoek
AddressVictoria, BC,
Organization
Date20040617
CategoryElectoral system change
Abstract
A proportional representation [PR] system allows voters to vote for their conviction, to vote in support of that party which comes closest to their values and vision of the kind of society they want. [2 pages]

Submission Content
Thank you for creating the opportunity to express my opinion and therefore add to the process of chosing a hopefully better voting system in BC.

My preference is a proportional representation [PR] voting system. I grew up with this system in the Netherlands so can best compare that system with the one we have so far in BC. The following are my observations and conclusions:

In BC we basicly have a win-lose system. This is discouriging for voters because it discounts and therefore wastes many votes. It creates a tendency to vote for who one thinks the winner will be or to vote in order to keep a certain party out. This is mostly a negative vote and does not lead to much satisfaction. This system is undemocratic. It is competitive, dismissive and disrespectful.
 
A proportional representation system allows voters to vote for their conviction, to vote in support of that party which comes closest to their values and vision of the kind of society they want. This system recognizes each vote and therefore is more democratic. It is a positive vote, creating a very different mentality than what we have now. Voters feel more involved. It matters how they vote.  Their vote is reflected in the kind of government there will be as a result of voting. Voters end up with a much greater sense of satisfaction and a stronger motivation to take part in voting.

In the government itself it also will create a different mentality, namely with a greater number of parties the members of parlement have to learn to cooperate with each other. There too it will no longer be one against the other, winners against losers; it will be more conducive to a more reflective and more inclusive way of making decisions.
 
I know that there are a variety of ways of having proportional representation and I assume that you have looked into the different models used in other countries. In case you are not familiar with the way it is used in the Netherlands allow me to give you a broad outline:  a party can be an official party once they have received a certain number of votes. Each party, with involvement of their members, make up a list of names of candidates in order of preference. Generally speaking voters vote for the party rather than the person. The party needs so many votes to get a candidate elected, so the more votes the party gets the more candidates will be elected, going down the list. However, one can indicate a preference vote for a particular candidate on the list. If that candidate gets a certain amount of votes she/he will be elected even if that candidate is lower on the list.
 
Thank you for your attention. May you come to a choice of a voting system which is  most democratic, most inclusive and most respectful of the citizens of BC.

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