Much work remains on electoral reform

Education, engagement will take effort, Megan Dias says.

The throne speech delivered on Sept. 8 repeated the New Democratic Party’s election platform and the details of the agreement the NDP and the Green party struck in May.

One of these details was electoral reform. The speech stated that the “government will set the terms for a referendum on proportional representation to take place no later than November 2018.” It will “actively campaign in favour of reform” and ensure that “every vote counts.”

These broad, and vague sentences on reform obscure just how much work needs to be done between now and fall 2018.

The fact is, it is not enough to just hold a referendum on electoral reform. It is important that this referendum be run properly. And, a properly run referendum requires much more than just signing some legislation, mailing a few flyers, and expecting British Columbians to flock to the polls.

In order for this electoral reform process to be done well, the NDP needs to put plans in place for consultation and education processes. They also need to commit to participating in a concerted effort to drive turnout up for this referendum.

In terms of consultation, the NDP needs to figure out what option (or options) will be on the referendum ballot. “Proportional representation” isn’t a system, but rather a principle. There are multiple systems that are proportional. Will they all be on the ballot? Will only one of them be? Will it be a simple yes/no ballot? Will British Columbians get to rank several options?

In the past two referendums, we have had on electoral reform, there was just one choice on the ballot: Single-Transferable Vote. This choice was decided by a Citizen’s Assembly that spent months learning about, and deliberating on, various systems.

The Citizen’s Assembly was largely considered a success, as it took the ballot question out of the hands of politicians, who have their own electoral self-interests. It also included citizens from every riding in B.C., Indigenous persons, people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and an equal number of men and women. And it gave these citizens the time and resources necessary to really understand the issues.

There does not seem to be enough time to hold a Citizen’s Assembly before the referendum next fall. That does not mean there should be no consultation process, however. There are other means of consulting citizens on options, that don’t involve the same time constraints. Citizen juries, where citizens come together to adjudicate over an issue, much like legal juries, come to mind.

The next issue is education. Electoral systems are not intuitive. Most people don’t spend time researching the nuances of multiple systems, their trade-offs, and so on. Nor should they be expected to.

However, electoral systems do affect our daily lives.

They impact what politicians we can vote for, who gets elected, and what kind of policies ultimately end up in place. It’s important, then, that British Columbians understand what they’re voting on, and make informed choices. And the NDP needs to set up measures to ensure this.

Finally, turnout. Last fall, P.E.I. held a plebiscite on electoral reform. Only 36 per cent of P.E.I. residents turned out to vote. The turnout rate for Vancouver’s referendum on transit reform was 45 per cent, and turnout in B.C.’s last round of municipal elections was 33 per cent.

If the numbers for a potential referendum on electoral reform are around there, that would mean that only a minority of British Columbians are making a decision that will affect the functioning of our democracy for all.

The government needs to ensure that there is a concerted “get out the vote” effort. The City of Vancouver is currently working on its own effort to increase turnout in the municipal election. It is working on educational materials, and partnering with community organizations to increase engagement. The NDP should look into similar methods for its referendum.

Thus, for electoral reform to happen in B.C., the NDP needs to set up proper consultation, education, and engagement measures. It has a year to do all of this.

As we learned from the Liberals’ failed reform effort earlier this year, vague promises, and poorly designed processes, won’t cut it.