Skip to content

South Okanagan group forms to push ‘yes’ on electoral reform

Fair Vote SOS hopes locals will vote in favour of reform in a referendum this year
11038711_web1_20171212-BPD-voting-place-bc
Provincial elections could undergo a dramatic change if a referendum on proportional representation passes this fall. (Black Press files)

A group of South Okanagan and Similkameen residents have come together to ramp up a local push for proportional representation.

The group, calling itself Fair Vote South Okanagan Similkameen (SOS), has met once so far to begin planning for the “yes” campaign on a province-wide referendum on the voting system in B.C.

Related: Referendum on B.C. voting system next year

In an election campaign last year, the B.C. NDP suggested it would put the question of proportional representation — that is, a system that would allot an equal number of legislative seats to the number of votes a party gets in an election — to a referendum.

“We want to improve and modernize our voting system so everyone’s vote counts,” Fair Vote SOS organizer Diana McGregor said in a news release.

Proportional representation can come in a number of forms, and the provincial government hasn’t settled on one form of voting reform if B.C.’s public does vote in favour of proportional representation in the referendum, coming later this year.

Related: B.C. Liberals sound alarm about NDP electoral reform

The government recently closed a public input form on its website that asked a number of questions. That ranged from people’s perception of the fairness of the current system, how they feel government should be elected and what type of alternative they would be most in favour.

According to a May 2017 Insights West poll, 59 per cent of B.C. voters said they “would welcome” adoption a proportional representation system.

Local leaders in the B.C. NDP and Greens voiced their support for proportional representation, including local B.C. NDP president Tina Lee, who said the referendum is “a chance to fix an electoral system that too often silences the majority of voters.”

Related: B.C. Premier John Horgan vows clear referendum question

“In our current system, about half the voters cast a ballot which elects no one and has no impact on election outcomes. The result is voter apathy, which is easily understandable,” Penticton Green candidate Connie Sahlmark added.

Opponents of electoral reform say the current first-past-the-post system, in which people elect a representative for their riding and the party with most representatives typically forms government, is the strongest for governance.

The B.C. Liberal Party came out swinging against reforms, saying it would lead to chronic minority governments. They often point to places like Italy or Greece, both with weak economies and often seen as crippled with indecision, as examples of the ill effects of proportional representation.

Related: Millennials’ voter turnout in 2017 B.C. election up 7%

Conversely, proponents point to places like Germany or Scandinavia, both economic strongholds in Europe, as examples of where the system works.

The Liberals have also pushed questions of how the referendum will be worded, with some suggesting the B.C. NDP is looking to skew the vote in its favour.

Fair Vote SOS will be holding its next meeting on Monday.

Report a typo or send us your tips, photos and video.

Dustin Godfrey | Reporter
@dustinrgodfrey
Send Dustin an email.
Like the Western News on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.