On May 17th we will be asked to decide the following question:
Should BC change to the BC-STV electoral system as recommended by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform?
Any thoughts as to how this will go? NV-Lonsdale Green Party Candidate Terry Long is pushing a YES vote.
DeepCoveBC.com has come out swinging against the Single Transferable Voting System: http://www.deepcovebc.com/bccitizensassembly.html
Here are some comments taken directly from DeepCoveBC.com early on in the debate. I wonder if they are going to ramp up their opposition over the next six weeks?
Let's go over the important points about Single Transferable Voting (STV):
The Single Transferable Voting System:
- is not a truly proportional representation
- does nothing to bring women into elected office
- entrenches big vested parties
- is only in two countries - Ireland and Malta
- is not easily understood
- is not easily counted
Our One Chance?
Just one more thing - When people try to sell you on this system they may say that this is our one chance to change the voting system. That if we voters in BC choose not to change our electoral system that it will never be changed. And, furthermore, that once the system is changed once, it can be changed again. Don't believe it.
First - this is a bad system for the reasons stated above and voting for a system that does not truly represent the voters is not a positive move. It is not a step forward and does nothing to bring fair and democratic proportional representation (where the proportion of the government seats are distributed according to the exact proportion that the public voted) to British Columbia.
Second - Many other provinces and even the feds in this country and many in other countries are watching BC because they are also being pushed by their public for a fair electoral system.
- By rejecting BC STV we show the country and the world that we cannot be lead down the garden path.
- By rejecting BC STV we stand up for our right to a democratic electoral system and those looking into alternatives will realize that STV is not a system to choose.
Third - So, we won't get a new electoral system this time around. But we will eventually get it because once another area makes a move and changes to a truly democratic and easily understood electoral system our province will also make that change.
2 opinions/comments:
I have to admit I found your comment a little puzzling. I try to classify blogs as 'Yes', 'No' or 'Neutral' for the links section of my blog: http://www.stvforbcvoteyes.blogspot.com/
Your post takes no position but includes a lengthy quote from Deep Cove which opposes STV, with no balancing pro-STV quote so your position is unclear to me.
As for Deep Cove, they are pretty much just sour grapes that the Assembly didn't choose MMP as the best option, so now out of spite (or some desperate hope that a 'no' vote in favour of the status quo will somehow lead us to MMP) they are anti-STV.
Take a look at their anti-STV points:
They say that STV:
"* is not a truly proportional representation"
but it's far more proportional than the current system and achieves results which are quite close to perfect proprtionality. If proportionality is the concern why vote 'No' i.e. in favour of the least proportional system in the world - our current one (answer: because Deep Cove worries that a Yes vote will make switching to their preferred MMP system unlikely).
* does nothing to bring women into elected office
It's not the job of the electoral system to decide who gets elected. STV gives the voters the maximum amount of choice so that *they* can decide who to elect. Of course if parties aren't willing to nominate women, then women won't get elected - but that's true under any system.
* entrenches big vested parties
Big vested parties are entrenched everywhere under every system - because lots of voters vote for big parties. What an electoral system can do is make sure that smaller parties have a fighting chance and STV does this, as evidenced by the election of members from smaller parties in Ireland and Australia under STV.
Again, no system entrenches big parties like our current one, so a 'No' vote on these grounds would be illogical.
* is only in two countries - Ireland and Malta
This is simply a lie, one which I wish 'No' supporters would stop telling. STV is used in many jurisdictions in Australia, as well as being used in Northern Ireland, and for local elections in New Zealand and Scotland.
* is not easily understood
* is not easily counted
Since the counting is the part that's hard to understand, this is the same point twice. Still, there's no doubt that STV is complicated compared to our current system. I guess whether people want to stick with an inferior system because it is simpler is a judegment call.
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Deep Cove is right that other provinces are watching B.C. to see how we vote, but I think even Deep Cove doesn't believe their own rhetoric when they say that the message other provinces will take from a 'No' vote is that we can't be led 'down the garden path'. Clearly the message they'll take is that people in B.C. supported the status quo. That may not be fair, but it is what will happen all the same.
There is now a Yes BC STV campaign getting started on the Northshore. If you're interested, a group meets every Thurs. evening from 5:30-7 at Silver Harbour Centre in North Vancouver.
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