PR will bring fairness to voting

There are those who question the fairness of having a 50 per cent plus one threshold determine the result of the coming B.C. referendum on electoral reform, while paradoxically championing our current archaic electoral system: first-past-the-post.

Since 1956, FPTP has produced only one true majority government (over the 50 per cent threshold) in B.C. FPTP is generally only fair when there are two parties vying to form government.

More than 90 countries now use some form of proportional representation, including more than 80 per cent of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. No country has ever changed back to FPTP after adopting PR.

The details of all three models of PR on the referendum ballot, contrary to innuendo, are readily available for voter perusal. Yes, this learning curve will demand some due diligence on the part of the voter. Isn’t it the responsibility of every voter to take the time to be informed to participate constructively in our democracy?

The three “made-for-B.C.” models of PR on the ballot all embrace the principle that: “People should be represented in proportion to how they voted.” All three share the following attributes: maintain strong local and regional representation; no region will have fewer MLAs than before; no significant increase in the number of MLAs; five per cent provincial threshold to gain proportional seats.

Sounds fair to me. It’s a vast improvement over our current system, which is, more often than not, the antithesis of fairness in a democracy. Murray Chantler Qualicum Beach