During your post provincial election coverage, Nelson-Creston NDP representative Michelle Mungall states, “We need to start asking what’s going on with our democracy.” (“Mungall defends party and Dix,” May 17).
It’s simple in my mind. As long as the first past the post system is used voters stay tuned out and turned off. Combine that with a representative here in Nelson-Creston who turns off and tunes out many of her constituents (and I speak from personal experience as she turned away from the Burmese refugees I tried to introduce because her time to be “on show” hadn’t arrived yet) and you know why less than fifty per cent of BC’s people voted.
We are tired of not making a difference; of not being listened to, although I did vote.
A proportional representation or single-transferrable vote system would change voters’ lethargy.
In Holland, my country of birth and a country I return to regularly, a proportional representation system is used. My young nephews and nieces and their friends are keen to vote because they are heard and their votes count.
We tried to change the voting system here. It didn’t pass because of unbeatable rules. Will we have forgotten about our broken system four years from now? Probably, although I hope not.
So, how is our democracy broken? The voting system needs fixing. Each vote needs to count for something. Why else bother?
Ann Alma
Nelson