Submission SETO-0252 (Online)

Easy-to-understand and easy-to-implement common-sense refinements to the current system in BC, including run-off elections, will correct many of the existing shortcomings and enhance the democratic process. [2 pages]

Abstract: Before considering radical solutions to the current electoral system, an analysis of the causes would yield more effective answers. Thus, to increase voter turn-out, I recommend imposing a minimal participation by riding to validate any voting result; to provide for greater equality, I recommend that as much as possible each riding have the same number of voters; to provide for greater legitimacy of each elected member, the winning candidate must obtain more that half of the total votes cast.

Submission


There is the misperception that the some of the problems of the current system, such as the gulf between the percentage of the popular vote and the percentage of seats won by any party, and the declining voter turnout, can be solved by adding or switching to a proportional system.

As you may know, proportional representation is used along side the single-member riding system in many European countries (e.g., Germany), and solely in also other democracies (e.g., Italy, Ireland, Israel, Scandinavian countries). Most of these jurisdictions consist of relatively homogeneous populations.

Before proportional representation is considered, it is important to see what is it about the current system that causes these problems, and what improvements to the current system will address some of the short-comings of the current system before going for more radical solutions. Most of these concerns relate to the perception of legitimacy, and revolves usually around issues relating to (1) popular vote v. proportion of seats obtained, (2) declining voter turnout due to multiple factors, one of which is probably related to perceived lack of legitimacy of elected representatives, and (3) the importance of equal rights with respect to voting and representation.

The current system as used in British Columbia and the rest of Canada served us well when there were usually 2 candidates so the winner usually emerged with 50% + 1 of the total votes in each riding. However, over time and with the emergence of political multiplicity in British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada, and the fact that the principle of 50% + 1 was never enshrined in law, it became more difficult for candidates to win with more than 50% + 1 of the total votes in a riding.

An election is more than a survey. It is used to choose deciders. Just as the legislature decides on questions and issues of the day with 50% +1 of the votes of its members, it ought to be the same when voters are asked to not merely express their opinion on the menu of candidates, but to decide who among the candidates will decide in their name. Just as an issue or question is decided by at least 50% +1 of the votes in a democracy, it must be likewise in the process to choose who will decide. And so in an election in any riding, if no candidate achieves 50% + 1 of the total votes, then there should be a run-off between/among the top candidates to decide the winner that will emerge with more than half of the riding's votes. In this way, every winning candidate in every riding can assuredly and legitimately speak on behalf the majority of the riding's voters.

The second problem that I want to address is how deal with declining voter turnout. Separately and in parallel to majority voting in riding results, I propose that candidates that win, in either the current or the majority system, must occur at or beyond a defined minimum turnout (e.g., 50%, 66.66%, 75%, 80% or at some level to be determined, but should be at least 50%) or else the election in that riding is declared invalid, and the riding have to undergo a by-election at some later date or will not have any representative for the duration of the term of the legislature. When voters realise that a low turnout will render them voiceless, then this becomes an incentive to vote.

Finally, to ensure that each vote is considered as equal as possible, the deviation quotient allowed in the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, Section 9 currently at 25% should gradually be reduced to as low as 5%. A riding that is difficulty to delineate should be selected as a denominator whereby its population is divided by the total provincial population to obtain the number of ridings in the province.

I believe that these easy-to-understand and easy-to-implement common-sense refinements to the current system in British Columbia will correct many of the existing short-comings and enhance the democratic process.

I hope that these ideas will help you and your colleagues in government to take these steps as outlined above to improve provincial elections in British Columbia, and set the pattern for this type of change in the rest of Canada.