Submission WOODWORTH-1190 (Online)

If the admirable work of the Assembly members and of the many participants is to prove worthwhile, the democratic engagement of B.C.'s citizens must be enlisted before the referendum recommendation, not afterwards. [1 page]

I am very pleased that British Columbia is going to be presented with a much-needed opportunity to redefine its voting system. We can all only benefit from greater and more effective democratic participation.

However, if the most admirable work of the Assembly members and of the many participants is to prove worthwhile, the democratic engagement of B.C.'s citizens must be enlisted before the referendum recommendation, not afterwards.

Much as I have followed the articles and letters in the Times Colonist and the Globe and Mail regarding electoral reform, I am truly alarmed / aghast at how few people I meet (and know) are at all aware of the Citizens' Assembly, its mandate, its fine work, or the importance of giving thought to voting system choices.

If B.C.'s population is not democratically engaged in the present process soon, if this process fails to cut through the general apathy and polarization typical of B.C.'s citizenry, and if the Assembly's recommendation seems too academic and/or complex to citizens, then all the talk about an improved democracy will have been for nothing.

There is only one true test for the Assembly's recommendation: acceptance.