In the televised debate Andrew Wilkinson of the Liberal Party stated that he would support a new Citizens’ Assembly. But BC just had a Citizens’ Assembly in 2004, and contrary to Wilkinson’s statements, its top recommendation is on the current ballot.
The BC Citizens’ Assembly (160 men and women chosen randomly from across the province) met over the course of a year. They consulted with experts and the public and studied voting systems used around the world. They concluded that MMP (Mixed Member Proportional) and STV (Single Transferable Vote) were the two systems most suited to BC. They rejected First Past the Post because, if there are more than two parties, FPTP fails due to vote-splitting of the left- or right-leaning vote.
In a final vote, they chose STV as the very best system to engage and empower voters. Under STV voters can rank local candidates and there are no party-generated lists. Both MMP and STV are on the referendum ballot, though STV is called RUP (Rural-Urban Proportional) because MMP would be used in low-population areas to prevent northern ridings from becoming too big. Both MMP and STV are widely used globally, so RUP is not new. No party is in favour of closed lists, so if MMP was chosen, voters would still directly elect their representatives. DMP, the only new system on the ballot, is actually very similar to MMP computationally but is extremely simple to use, like FPTP.
All three voting systems are vetted by experts as fair, stable and functional. All three preserve regional representation and produce proportional results. No area will lose seats. Seats could increase to 95 from the current 87. An all-party, balanced legislative committee will work out details with Elections BC, experts and the public as stated in How We Vote, the document guiding this referendum.
We face massive and real problems: climate change, economic security, increasing inequality, affordable housing etc. We need real solutions with a broad basis of support. Coalition governments may take a little longer to form policies, but the policies tend to last beyond one election, producing economic security and real progress, as the strength of the German economy shows.
This referendum on electoral reform will have a profound impact on life in B.C., so make your vote count.
Simone Runyan