Electoral system needs refinement
Our electoral system is the foundation of our democracy. The current federal government reflecting the will of a plurality of Canadian citizens is going to change it.
The most important result of election analysis, to some, is the national party seat count in relation to the percentage of votes cast. When the two do not equate (and they mostly do not) some kind of unfairness must be present. Perhaps, but is correcting this ‘unfairness’ the best way forward?
Two alternative electoral systems seem to be under consideration for change; preferential, which the government favours, and proportional. Fairly, both are radical departures from where we are and many, with some justification, are calling for a national referendum.
Preferential or ranked balloting, results in a riding winner with a majority of votes cast. The unanticipated (or not) consequence is to give unnecessary advantage to the party in the centre, as second choices are not likely to jump to the other end of the political spectrum.
A proportional system is an even greater ‘makeover.’ Proportional systems, while ‘making every vote count,’ seem not to recognize that while simple majority rules, we in Canada have gone to great lengths to protect minority rights and tolerate diversity. To suggest that somehow a vote for a candidate that loses is somehow undemocratic, unfair or wasted misses our essence. As frustrating and cumbersome as our Charter of Rights and Freedoms can sometimes be, it is supreme. It also seems a little naïve to suggest the current government give up its majority when an alternative exists to retain it.
A third option which gets little attention is ‘the runoff’ system. It simply calls for a runoff vote in those constituencies where the lead candidate does not get a majority of votes. In ridding our system of pluralities it does not prima facially give an advantage to any party. Those that lament low voter turnout as a reason not to ask required citizens to cast a second ballot can rest themselves assured that appropriate ‘party apparatus’ and anticipated new ways of voting will ‘get the vote out.’
Our electoral system has served us well. Change may be in order but it should be refinement, not ‘makeover.’ Adding a ‘runoff’ accomplishes just that. John Kolb Waterloo