If you asked the typical 18 year old high school student in BC whether or not they’d be voting in the upcoming election, the results would disgust you. Most students, at least those that I have talked to, weren’t even aware of the significance of May 12, 2009, much less planning to participate. When I ask, normal responses range from, “There’s an election coming up?” and “Well I would vote, but it’s too much effort” to "Who really cares, the parties are all the same anyway?" Though these were typical responses, I find it shocking that young voter registration is on the rise. In all actuality, the only reason voter turnout in the 18-30 age group is growing is because it just couldn’t get any lower. “People used to think that voter turnout is just falling off further and further every [time]” but in our last election, in 2005, young voter turnout increased to “35 percent from 27 percent.” This eight percent jump, while excellent, still isn’t enough. Currently, we belong to the “lowest participation group in the province.” It is not a difficult process everyone, get out and vote!
Though who will win the election is pretty clear, the most difficult decision voting British Columbians will have to make is on the issue of electoral reform. Currently, we use the first-past-the-post system to elect our government. This means that all of BC is broken down into ridings with candidates in each party running to represent the riding. Voters choose the party they want to win by voting for their candidate. The party with the most elected candidates forms the government. However, this system often creates exaggerated majorities in the legislature. For example, in the last election (2005) the Liberals retained power with approximately 58% of the seats, yet they only managed to get approximately 46% of the popular vote. This means that they technically occupy more seats than British Columbians wanted them to. Also, if someone does not want any of the three major parties to win, his or her voice is not heard and his or her vote “counts for nothing.” The reform would be to change our system to the single transferable vote system (STV).
In this system, voters rank their choices. STV is designed to eliminate wasted votes, or votes cast for parties that do not win seats. It is a lot more complicated than the first past the post system, but here is a quick overview: In the STV system, there is a special number called the quota. It is found by taking the number of votes cast and dividing it by the number of seats available to be won and then adding one. One is then added to the quotient. The formula looks like this: (Votes/(seats+1))+1. Confused yet? Well is gets worse; if a candidate has enough seats to make the quota, then he or she is elected, and his or her “extra votes” are transferred to whoever the voters ranked next in line using another formula. Votes continue to be distributed until no one else can be elected. If all the available seats are not filled, the “candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.” This entire process continues until all the seats are filled. It is a very long, drawn-out procedure that can take days to come up with a winner. In addition, this idea of having to rank prospective representatives is a lot more time consuming and would cause even fewer people to head to the polls and vote.
In my opinion, there is no need to change our current system; the arguments against it are simply illogical. The STV system is supposed to eliminate “wasted votes,” but really, if a major party is not in power, then our government will not run properly. Secondly, the exaggerated majorities allow the party in power to get things done. In our parliamentary system, the party in power, providing they have a majority government, can force through any bill, or law, they so desire. If they do not have a majority government, the opposition can fight them on anything and everything, and bills will not pass. The exaggerated majorities formed by the first past the post system allow for a smaller chance of a minority government.
Whether you vote for the Liberals or the BC Marijuana party, one thing is clear. All British Columbians have a civic duty to make our voices heard in the upcoming election. To young British Columbians: the future is ours to hold, we must make it the best one possible, by building a strong foundation today. We cannot have a say in what happens in our province without exercising our right to vote. People all over the world are willing to die for this basic right that we so often take for granted. We should all "suck it up" and take a whopping 5 minutes out of our busy lives to mark two little ex’s on two little pieces of paper.
Voting statistics
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/election/44025817.html
STV information
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/bcvotes2009/stv.html
http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/article.php?id=54
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