Abstract
A request that the Assembly exceed its mandate by recommending
changes to the requirements for adoption of Electoral Reform
following the referendum.
Submission
The Liberal Government has said that Electoral Reform must receive
both 60% support province wide and 50% support in 48 electoral
districts in order to be adopted. This gives those opposed to
Electoral Reform a four to one voting advantage and makes it
unlikely that any significant reform will be adopted. It is a
profoundly undemocratic process.
I suggest that the adoption of Electoral Reform should require only
a simple 50% majority province wide.
I can see that it may be reasonable to require more than a simple
majority when voters consider changing something that has been
previously adopted by voters. Our present First Past the Post
(FPTP) system was never endorsed by voters and in fact replaced the
Alternative Vote system after the 1953 election without any
effective voter input. FPTP has no democratic legitimacy in BC and
the 2005 referendum on Electoral Reform will be the first
opportunity voters have ever had to directly endorse any system.
This first adoption by voters of an Electoral System should require
only a simple province wide majority.
The requirement that Electoral Reform be endorsed by a certain
number of electoral districts is also unreasonable. Such a
requirement would be reasonable if some geographic areas were to be
particularily affected by the change being considered. This is not
the case with an Electoral Reform where all parts of the province
would be treated equally by adoption of Electoral Reform.
A system such as Preferential Plus, where there would be regional
differences in the electoral system, may justify special regional
majorities for adoption but such special regional majorities would
be very different from the arbitrary "60% of electoral districts"
that has been proposed by the Liberal Government.
It may also be helpful to consider precedents for adoption of
Electoral Reform in other jurisdictions. In New Zealand a simple
majority nation wide was needed for adoption, giving equal value to
votes for and against adoption. An arrangement giving voters
supporting Electoral Reform 1/4 the effect of voters opposing such
reform may be unprecidented.
I suggest that after the Assembly has met its mandate of
recommending a single Electoral Reform, it should go on to exceed
its mandate by recommending changes to the formula for adoption of
Electoral Reform following the referendum.
If the Assembly cannot effectivly exceed its mandate in this way
then I ask that the members of the Assembly re-group as individuals
outside the Assembly and make whatever recommendations they see fit
to make for the benefit of the people of BC.
Thank you for considering this.
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