Vote yes STV
May. 11th, 2009 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jawnbcTomorrow we have a chance to take our province back. The No campaign is spreading a lot of bogus info, some of which I'd like to address here:
- Multiple MLA serving a larger riding means no MLA is accountable. Wrong: instead of probably having an MLA you didn't vote for, you'll have between 3 and 7 to choose from--at least one of whom was one you voted for. Currently if your MLA doesn't share your concerns, you've lost an important advocate: with STV you'll more easily find someone who does. And will.
- Huge, unmanageable ridings. Wrong: the ridings proposed are about the same size as many federal ones here in BC--but with several members in each
- Special interests are behind STV. Wrong: a non-partisan, randomly selected Citizen's Assembly (with one man and woman from each riding) reviewed all sorts of options and held hearings across BC. They selected STV. These were not party representatives or organizational representatives: just regular British Columbians who felt we needed to find a better way.
- It's complicated to vote. Wrong: you can keep voting the way you always have if you want. You can rank every single candidate running in your riding if you want. Or you could rank just your favourite 3, or 5 or 10.
- We won't know results for days. Wrong: in STV elections after the first preferences are counted we usually know the results for over half the seats the same day or early the next.
- It's complicated to count. Wrong: it's a bit more complicated, but if we want a more sophisticated and flexible electoral system, we need one that's a bit more complex to manage. But computers are wonderful things these days: enter the data (from our paper ballots) and run the results. The data entry is the most labour intensive part.
- Ireland and Malta have not done well under STV. Wrong: Malta has, despite STV, still only elected MPs from its two major parties--that's what the Maltese vote for, so that's what they get. Ireland has had several majority governments under STV, and a few minority governments. But they've had less elections that we've had in Canada over the same period.
