April 17th Articles

Referendum: Bob doesn't understand
Langley Advance
Friday, April 17, 2009
http://www2.canada.com/langleyadvance/news/letters/story.html?id=58ea1a63-b17b-43ac-a0ce-0568802a80f4

STV serves up choice of MLAs
Langley Advance
Fri 17 Apr 2009
Page: 8
Section: Opinion
Byline: Matthew Claxton
Column: Painful truth
http://www2.canada.com/langleyadvance/news/opinion/story.html?id=075e11d1-6c26-4851-a648-313961b02a2d

BC-STV would be disastrous
B. Penner
Langley Advance
Published: Friday, April 17, 2009
http://www2.canada.com/langleyadvance/news/letters/story.html?id=684521ce-6bb5-42cb-9efc-573f53a94a8c

Less adersarial democracy
Abbotsford News
April 17, 2009
http://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/letters/43200207.html

Why A Referendum on Electoral Reform
Campbell River Courier-Islander
Fri 17 Apr 2009
Page: A12
Section: Opinion
Byline: Ray Grigg
http://www2.canada.com/courierislander/news/opinion/story.html?id=24b5f7ce-27fd-474e-b44a-2f9690c3648b

Changing the system
Comox Valley Echo
Fri 17 Apr 2009
Page: A10
Section: Opinions
Byline: Jamie Deith
http://www2.canada.com/comoxvalleyecho/news/letters/story.html?id=bca525b2-0fb3-4dc8-ae6a-e1b77ec563be

BC-STV redefines game
Richmond News
Fri 17 Apr 2009
Page: 10
Section: Opinion
http://www2.canada.com/richmondnews/news/opinion/story.html?id=7786a4a2-28c0-422b-8fc6-da7a71abb1d2

Rallying for a voting change; BC-STV getting their message out
Chilliwack Times
Fri 17 Apr 2009
Page: 1 / FRONT
Byline: Mike Chouinard
http://www2.canada.com/chilliwacktimes/news/story.html?id=8eddab2c-5c08-4365-b29b-1ff397d64b44

Anti-STV campaign backers tell the story
Nelson Daily News
Fri 17 Apr 2009
Page: 7
Section: Editorial
Source: Nelson Marty HorswillDaily News

To the Editor:

Amidst the news about the political parties' start of their election campaigns on Monday, I heard a report on CBC about the referendum campaign on reforming BC's system of elections - i.e., do we stick with our current "first past the post" (FPTP) system or change to the "Single transferrable vote" (STV-BC) system. What interested me most in this report was hearing from the anti-STV-BC side of the debate for the first time.

I was surprised to learn that the two public spokespeople for the campaign opposed to adopting STV-BC are high profile New Democrats, Bill Tieleman and former MLA, Ann Edwards. As a former, long-time New Democrat myself, I was at first shocked that these individuals were fronting the anti-STV-BC campaign. But, when I reflected on why we are still saddled with the antiquated and unfair first-past-the-post electoral system anyway, then it made perfect sense. Politicians and political parties love the way we do things now.

In the last election New Democrats got 41.5% of the popular vote while the Campbell Liberals got 45.8%, a 4.3% spread. This 4.3% difference resulted in the New Democrats winning 34 seats in the Legislature and the Liberals 42 seats. It gave the Liberals a majority government with 100% of the power.

Mr. Tieleman and Ms. Edwards like our current system because they hope the New Democrats can take enough votes from the Liberal in this election to turn a similarly small percentage difference to the NDP's advantage so they can win 100% of the power.

This is how FPTP works, it produces grossly distorted electoral outcomes that create false majorities.

Ambitious politicians, passionately seeking power, are acutely aware that the FPTP electoral system, that usually allows one group of politicians to get 100% of the power with as little as 40% of the popular vote, is much more politician friendly than a system where they only get 40% of the power in return for 40% of our votes.

Voters on the other hand are far better off with a system that forces political parties to go into the Legislature with the same percentage of seats as the percent of the provincial popular vote they won in the election. STV-BC will give voters the kind of fair election outcomes British Columbians want.

For me the most important question in the up-coming election isn't: "Which group of politicians we want to take power." No, the real question is: "Do we want to change our electoral system to give real electoral power back to ourselves or do we want to continue to leave it in the hands of the politicians?"

I'm voting for STV-BC and all British Columbians fed up with BC politics as usual should do likewise.

Marty Horswill

Nelson, B.C.

BC-STV supporters putting up signs
Prince George Free Press
April 17, 2009
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_north/pgfreepress/news/43178282.html

Organizing some BC-STV knowledging
Russ Miller
Blog: nationalpolitick
April 17, 2009
http://nationalpolitick.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/organizing-some-bc-stv-knowledging/

Coun. Andrea Reimer says an STV win will thwart mixed-member proportional representation in B.C.
By Charlie Smith
Straight.com
April 17, 2009
http://www.straight.com/article-215043/coun-andrea-reimer-says-stv-win-will-thwart-mixedmember-proportional-representation-bc