I Think You Should Vote For Proportional Representation.

So… Anyone watch that pro-rep debate?

If you did, you’d have seen a couple partisan leaders fighting for their own interests. That’s normal, and it’s why I want a new system. Well… new for Canada, at least.

I want proportional representation, but not for all the reasons John Horgan does. He wants it because it means the NDP might form Government more often than once in a generation, and that would be an improvement for them. The BC Liberals? I am not surprised by the misinformation and fear-tactics put forward by Andrew Wilkinson on this issue. It is possible that his political ambitions (and those of the BC Liberal Party) could be destroyed. The loss of the current system (First Past The Post) would probably mean they could never form a majority government again. Greens? Andrew Weaver is holding his nose right now, in spite of some spectacularly UN-environmental choices by John Horgan, because his Greens have the most to gain. They would (appropriately, I feel) get the number of seats in legislature that they have earned through the popular vote. 

Personally… I want pro-rep because it will disempower the big parties, to an extent, and get them working for the voters and with each other. Here are the main reasons why I’m voting for proportional representation. Some of these are, not surprisingly, talking points for the “yes” side. For me, they are compelling.

Popular vote matters! I am amazed this isn't discussed more often, given how relevant it is.

Proportional representation would deliver our popular vote results into our governing bodies. Any of the three systems on the Pro-Rep ballot would do it. This would give a fairer outcome than we get now. If a leader’s party doesn’t command more than 50% of the vote, they would have to get to work and collect the support they need, from actual elected stakeholders, to govern. This is so logical, and so completely not the case with First Past The Post. 

Fake Majorities: Why should 40% of the votes get 100% of the power? 

Here’s a fun list:  Justin Trudeau, Doug Ford, and Rachel Notley. Each of them are enjoying complete control of their legislatures in spite of the fact that (roughly) 60% of their citizens voted against them. Our system regularly delivers ironclad power (100% of it) to such outcomes, delivering Fake Majorities. In Quebec, Francois Legault recently showed just how ridiculous these results can be. He won 59% of the seats (a massive majority) with a mere 37% of the popular vote. This is not democracy. It is a broken system. 

This is the most damning problem. We are almost always, as constituents, held captive by a minority. In order for First Past The Post to function, artificial majorities are fabricated. Representation is stolen from the “losers” (who, together, outnumber the “winners”). Power is handed to the group that lies outside the intention of the majority of voters. All of us are governed by substantially less than half. 

Supporters of First Past The Post will argue that this is the only way to have stable, secure, governments. This is a lie. Some of the most enviable, stable democracies in the world use pro-rep. Germany, New Zealand, Ireland, and more. It works very well. History shows that FPTP Governments are not any more stable than the Governments that Pro-Rep produces. 

Is there any wonder that people feel cynical? That they drop out of the system? Is it surprising that young people feel the government doesn't work for them? Why should they when their voice and intentions are to effectively disregarded?

Real Voter Engagement: Proportional representation would engage the electorate. There  would be higher voter turn-out, and more diversity in government. This isn't a fabrication. It is a fact that has been established by many well-functioning pro-rep governments around the world. Not surprisingly, when someone thinks their vote will matter… and will put someone in Government that is accountable to them, voter involvement goes up. Also, under Pro-Rep we see an increase in Government members that are something other than a middle-aged white guy. Citizens see more representatives that resemble themselves. New Zealand’s current Prime Minister is a Maori Woman who just had a baby. And it’s all going great. I want more of this and Proportional Representation delivers it.

Wasteful Policy Swings:

Our FPTP system is so bitterly partisan that when a party finally loses power to it’s opposition (usually about every 3 elections, sometimes longer) there is a massive policy swing. It is always a time of expensive upheaval as the new Government tries to undo the work of its predecessor. It is traumatic and expensive to the taxpayer and it is unnecessary. Give me pro-rep minority and coalition governments any day, please. They have to work together to craft policy. They are answerable to their voters, not the party. When parties work together, and they have been part of the resulting legislation, they are less likely to tear it down later because they helped build it.

Fringe Party Bugaboos:

Those who stand to lose the most from proportional representation are engaged in dishonest scare-mongering at the moment. They really want you to believe that bad, evil, fringe parties, (like Nazis and stuff), will use pro-rep to grab control of the legislature. Please don’t be fooled. All of the current systems on your Pro-Rep Ballot have a control for this. No party achieves the benefit of pro-rep without getting at least 5% of the vote. At 5%, whether you like them or not, a party isn’t “fringe”. It represents one in twenty of your neighbours. They deserve a voice, too. Also, the FPTP system is currently shutting out a valid political party. The Greens are constantly denied space at the table, even though they capture a large chunk of the votes. In the last BC election they earned almost 17% of the vote. They should have 14 seats, not 3. That would be democratic. 

Populism is dangerous, and FPTP Enables it. 

Doug Ford won the Ontario Legislature with roughly 40% of the popular vote. He won all the power with a fake majority. He then immediately began to dismantle the Municipal electoral process in Toronto because he had an axe to grind. He had never run on this issue during the election, but once he won his fake majority he was able to do whatever he wanted.

Francois Legault won a massive fake majority in Quebec with only 37% of the vote. He immediately got to work banning religious symbols in that province, except for the Christian Cross, which he seems to think isn’t religious. 

Trump lost the popular vote in the USA, but won the Presidency through the electoral college. He immediately began dismantling the beneficial Health Care system his predecessor had built, because his non-proportional victory gave him the power to do so.

With Proportional Representation, none of these leaders would have had the unchecked power they love so much to steamroll their opponents. They would have been answerable to the electorate. Pro-Rep gives us checks and balances that we need.

So, What about this ballot?

Of course, I have an agenda here. I want you to take that ballot you got in the mail and answer Question 1. Please vote for a proportional representation voting system. Then I want you to send it in to be counted. That’s all you gotta do. 

Question 2 is optional, but if you want a deeper dive, go ahead. Here’s a cool online quiz to help you understand which of the 3 systems on the ballot appeals to you the most. (Mine is Mixed Member Proportional). You can look at the info on the Elections BC website, too. It’s all there for you. In spite of what the “no” side says, it is not too complicated or difficult for you to understand. They just want to scare you away from voting for pro-rep while insulting your intelligence at the same time. 

Also, let me stress… should we actually get pro-rep in BC there is a built-in safety feature. After 2 election cycles there will be a referendum to make sure we want to keep the new system. History has shown, though, that once the citizens get the better government that proportional representation offers, they do not switch back to FPTP.

What’s to lose? We have a fair ballot, lots of info, an escape hatch. All the proposed systems ensure locally chosen representation, and under pro-rep they might even serve their constituents instead of just following party line. There might be a small growth in the size of government, but that would come because we’d be buying better representation for voters. I suggest we join the modern world and go with pro-rep.

That’s all. Do it. Vote for pro-rep and send back your ballot. If you want to, pick your preferred system in question number 2, but that's optional. The first question is the most important. Choose proportional representation, better government and accountable elected officials. AND THEN MAIL THE BALLOT!