Editorial, The Province

Voters not equal in current system

The following was the lead editorial in The Province newspaper, Vancouver, Sunday 17 October 2004.

The very heart of a democracy beats on the strength of the system citizens use to cast a ballot.

Historically, B.C. has used the first-past-the-post electoral system, whereby candidates drawing the most votes -- but not necessarily a majority of votes -- win.

For the most part, this system has delivered stable, majority governments. But as the province has grown, so have concerns about the fairness of this system. All too often, a party drawing the highest popular vote doesn't cinch the most seats in the legislature. For example, a candidate in a less-populated rural riding is likely to be elected by fewer votes than one in a dense urban riding.

The system has also produced its share of majority governments. Coupled with the restrictions of government party discipline, this can hamper the freedom of an MLA to cast a vote in the legislature that reflects the wishes of his or her constituency.

But the way things are is not the way they need to be to ensure citizens are afforded a democratic vote. Reviewing alternatives to the current system has been the year-long task of the B.C. Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.

The 160-member non-partisan group -- half men, half women -- randomly chosen from the B.C. voters list has almost completed its assignment. In weeks it will inform Victoria whether it thinks the current electoral system should be changed and, if so, what the new system should look like.

If it does recommend a new voting system such a measure will first be put to referendum in next May's election. A minimum of 60 per cent voter approval in at least 60 per cent of B.C.'s constituencies is needed to pass. The Liberals have pledged to legislate the change if the plebiscite succeeds.

The committee has managed to narrow its study of alternatives to two options -- the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) in which voters vote for both a local MLA and a preferred party or member-at large, and the Single Transferrable Vote (STV), whereby voters rank candidates in order of preference and those candidates with the highest preferences are elected.

Because it's apt to result in more balance among voter preferences, we lean toward the MMP system in which a voter selects a constituency candidate as well as one representing the province or a larger region within it.

Variations of both systems in the U.K., New Zealand appear to be working well. Other provinces are also in the process of reviewing options to electoral reform.

There is a danger, however, that a new voting system will result in more minority governments and less efficiency in governing.

However, we must keep in mind that voter turnout here and in other democratic countries continues to sag. The reason? Citizens are convinced their votes don't matter any more.

But as it stands in B.C., voters are not equal. If a new voting system can address this imbalance without hindering the legislative process, then it's worth putting to a referendum.

[© 2004 The Vancouver Province . Reproduced here by permission of The Province.]