Empowering voters
Prince George Citizen
Wed
Page: 4
Section: Opinion
Byline: Anna Rankin
http://www.princegeorgecit
Penticton Herald
Wed 04 Mar 2009
Page: A11
Section: Opinion
Byline: David Huntley
Dear Editor:
The Academy Awards have come and gone and the Feb. 15 article by Joe Fries in the Okanagan Sunday "STV question back on the (provincial election) ballot May 12", brings me to ask do people know that the choice of finalists for the Academy Awards is done using the single-transferable vote (STV) system?
Whenever people sit down and try to figure out what is the fairest way to choose several people from a list of candidates, they are most likely to realize that STV is the answer.
It uses a preferential ballot, which contains more information than a simple X. The counting is designed to group like-minded voters with their preferred candidates.
Why is it not in common use then?
The answer is simple. Most politicians do not like it because it transfers power down to the voters.
The British Columbia Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform, 160 randomly selected B.C. voters, overwhelmingly recommended its use for electing our MLAs.
BC-STV is a system designed by voters for voters and we should vote for it on May 12.
For more information read the assembly's final report. It should be available in any public library and it can be downloaded from www.citizensassembly.bc.ca
David Huntley
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