40 per cent of vote, 100 per cent of power

Dear Editor: With communities digesting results of municipal elections, it’s now time to turn full attention to our next opportunity for democratic participation: the referendum relating to retaining first past the post as a voting system or evolving onward to proportional representation.

FPTP has given us a federal government and the provincial governments in Ontario and Quebec with parties winning less than 40 per cent of the popular vote gaining 100 per cent of the power. Other parties are left with only offering criticism.

The current B.C. coalition government is giving voters a voice as to whether we’d like to try PR used in more than 90 countries willing to modernize and make their voting systems more democratic. The most successful countries have wisely set a 5 per cent threshold for securing popular votes so that extremist and potentially disruptive small parties do not obtain a seat in the Legislative or Parliamentary assembly. B.C. has also proposed a 5 per cent threshold.

Proportional representation requires parties to communicate openly and negotiate positions and legislation where all seated parties contribute and collaborate. Isn’t a government of cooperation better than adversarial relationships between a party that’s received a small percentage of the popular vote dominating with all the power and ignoring the values and voice of other parties? Please mail your ballot. Merle Kindred

Penticton