The Editor,
Re: Kirk LaPointe: Improving democracy should be a New Year's resolution for us all (Jan. 2, 2025)
Low voter turnout, disengaged youth and dysfunctional legislatures demand action.
Mr. LaPointe has a great wish list for improving the functioning of our democracy and we should all share his wishes.
However, he neglects a basic principle of democracy, which we have not realized yet: that everyone's vote should have the same elective power.
At the moment, our dysfunctional electoral system, first-past-the-post, over-rewards the larger two parties and penalizes small parties.
Case in point, in the last election, the BC Greens received two seats while getting eight per cent of the popular vote — and this with not running a full slate.
If a Green vote were to have the same elective power, the Greens would have been awarded eight seats.
Our democracy may have evolved to the point where women, Asians, Indigenous peoples, etc., also have the vote, but it has not evolved to the point where everyone's vote has the same elective power.
If we were to adopt proportional representation, everyone could cast their ballot knowing that it would count.
Compared with first-past-the-post, where about 50 per cent of votes are wasted, proportional representation ensures that almost 100 per cent of votes are effective in electing a party of the voters choice.
Nothing depresses voter turnout more than knowing that casting your ballot will have no effect.
-- Daryl Sturdy, Vancouver
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