Editor:
The latest weekly poll in Coast Reporter asked, “Are the electoral reform referendum questions too complicated?” I don’t think they’re too complicated.
We just learned on May 30 what the electoral reform questions are. And for the first time, we learned what the three proposed proportional representation systems are.
Initially when anything is new, we may be confused and need to become informed. Over the coming months, all of us have a chance to learn about the different electoral systems and gain clarity. Is any system anywhere perfect? No. Will we find flaws with any of the systems? Of course. We’re not going for perfection or nitpicking. We’re going for the best system possible in our democracy.
Proportional representation (PR) is used in 80 democratic countries around the world; 32 of the richest 35 democracies in the world use proportional representation. The three richest exceptions are Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., which use first-past-the-post (FPTP) systems. Voters in democracies using PR were able to learn about the differences between PR and FPTP and chose PR. Voters in B.C. certainly have the capacity (as did voters in 80 other countries) to learn about the difference between PR and FPTP and about the three proportional representation choices.
I have confidence that B.C. voters have the capacity to learn new material, and reduce a “complicated” issue into an informed choice. And if proportional representation wins, voters can have another referendum after two general elections to ensure we got it right. That takes a lot of risk out of selecting something new and different.
Elizabeth McNeill, Sechelt
