War veteran wants to see real democracy
I am one of the few remaining veterans of the Second World War. I fought in France and Germany before stepping on a mine in Germany in March 1945.
I knew why I was there, although I was only 19. Now I am 93. I still believe in democracy, but that belief is incompatible with election results that give majority governments to political parties that receive only 39 per cent of the vote.
The way to ensure real democracy in our elections is through proportional representation. It is that simple. I hope to see real democracy in British Columbia before I die.
That is why I voted for proportional representation. I hope that others in B.C. care as much as I do.
Edwin Daniel
Victoria
PR systems are the democratic norm
There has been a lot of misinformation and fear-mongering from the No side of the proportional-representation debate, and as a young person concerned about our democratic future, I’d like to take a look at some of the facts.
First, the spurious claim that PR would enable far-right or extremist parties. The electoral system, whether that be first-past-the-post or PR, does not inherently lead to the rise of far-right agendas. These are a result of the political culture.
Remember that under PR, a party must receive a minimum of five per cent of the provincewide vote to win a seat.
It is also important to note that PR systems are the norm across the democratic world. There are only four democracies left using the outdated FPTP system — the U.K., U.S., India, and Canada. Donald Trump and Doug Ford, anyone? FPTP itself does not protect against far-right populists.
Nine out of 10 top Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development economies use PR systems. Research suggests that countries with PR voting systems score better on numerous indicators — including tolerance, quality of life, income equality and environmental performance.
Where cross-party co-operation is the norm, better public policy is produced.
Under PR, every vote would finally count. So vote yes, and let’s finally catch up with the rest of the democratic world.
Stacey O’Sullivan
Victoria
Other nations give good reasons to switch to PR
I believe there are many good reasons to feel confident about switching to proportional representation, namely: Germany, France, New Zealand, Australia and all of the Scandinavian countries.
Each of these nations — arguably the world’s greatest, most stable democracies — employs some form of PR.
Proportional representation ensures that political parties can only claim a majority of seats — and majority power — if they have earned the support of a majority of the electorate. Nations that use PR are thus untroubled by false majority governments, and, since every vote counts, PR also means an end to “wasted” votes and the distortion of “strategic voting.”
PR rewards parties not for extreme positions and confrontation, but rather for moderation and co-operation. The result is greater continuity, eliminating the need for successive governments to spend their first months in office undoing the worst excesses of their predecessors.
Good governance will always depend upon good people, but B.C. voters today have a historic opportunity to experience an electoral system that has proven to be more equitable, more inclusive and more stable than our own.
After all, we can always go back.
Mike Ward
Duncan
