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Letter: Stop saying we're too dumb to understand prop rep

Re: This is why you should vote no in the referendum , NOW online, Oct.
prop rep
Ballots start going out to households this week asking whether B.C. should switch from the current first-past-the-post election system to a system of proportional representation. The second question asks voters to rank three systems of proportional representation. Photo Dan Toulgoet

Re: This is why you should vote no in the referendum, NOW online, Oct. 26

Val Litwin, CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, cautions us to vote "no" on proportional representation, stating that the “three PR options in question are incredibly complex and require deep understanding to make an informed choice."

I have less than a university education, as do my 21-year-old and 24-year-old, both of whom are keenly interested in learning about the PR options. We have, without much difficulty at all, been able to understand fairly clearly what the three systems would be like and have identified the system we think best suits our province. My son, daughter and I are no smarter than the rest of the electorate. And I take umbrage with the stated concern by Litwin that it is too complex to understand. 

Litwin claims that the bar has been set too low for approval of a PR system by 50 per cent plus one. This far exceeds the bar set in the FPTP system, which allows a government with less than 40 per cent of the popular vote to have a majority government. 

Litwin expresses concern that a change to the current model will have long-term implications. Let's hope so. Let's hope that it leads to a re-engaged electorate, including youth, and that as a result government decisions better reflect the will of the majority of the population. And if it doesn't lead to these positive results, we will have a chance to reconsider our options after two election cycles. 

S/he also states that two of the options available have never before been tested. While this may be true, both methods have been devised considering B.C.'s specific needs, particularly the rural urban PR option which combines two already used and tested systems to give a fair balance of representation in B.C.'s rural and urban areas. 

We need a system where every vote counts. Anyone engaged enough to want to cast his/her vote in this referendum, is no doubt intelligent enough to do the research and understand how each of these systems work.

Clare & Conor O'Kelly, Burnaby