Not Quite Dead Yet: The Premature Burial of STV Electoral Reform

STV Option Election Reform: Stories of its Death Premature?

The Times-Colonist reported today the demise of the Single Transferable Vote (STV) proposed in referendum during Tuesday's general election. The problem is: The 58.38% of voters (as reported) expressing a desire to see our system reformed, a mere 1.62% shy of passage of the initiative, is not a final tally. -{ape}

STV Option Election Reform:
Stories of its Death Premature?
C. L. Cook
May 19th, 2005

The Times-Colonist front page story today declares "Leaders Back Electoral Reform," but a further perusal of the accompanying article reveals that what the leaders of the big three political parties in B.C., in "a rare show of harmony" agree is: reform is an issue that, in Green Party head, Adriane Carr's words "B.C. needs to keep working on." Given that this is not a new issue, and two of the three parties had ample opportunity to table reform legislation and didn't, their harmonious determination to keep working on the issue is meaningless.

Reinstated Premier, Gordon Campbell more vaguely claims he's a "clear advocate" of a "look[ing] at ways of improving our system," and promises to "look at that in different ways in the future." For newly minted opposition leader, Carole James, she says her NDP party will push Campbell to bring forward "another option," as if the 1.62% (yet to be ratified) "short-fall" for the STV amounts to an outright rejection of the system the Citizen's Assembly recommended after months of research, argument, and compromise. James admits she didn't support STV for fear, she says, it would unfavourably effect rural ridings. She suggests a second referendum, using a different model, perhaps during municipal elections in the fall.

If there is agreement on Belleville Street, it's a collective sigh of relief from the players in B.C.'s political duopoly. Declaring STV officially dead before the votes are fully counted gives away the game. While all parties admit, the 58+% Yes results prove a deep desire for reform, those same numbers prove, in James' view "[voters] didn't feel that STV was the right model."

The numbers I find striking in the STV saga are: 77-2; not the 2001 election results, but the count of polls where STV received more than 50% approval. We clearly want democratic reform in British Columbia, and now is the time. No more studies, panels, or referenda. It's now time for Carole James and the NDP, Gordon Campbell and the Liberals to allow for the final numbers to be announced by Elections B.C., and then debate whether a 1%, or less shortfall is justification enough to shelve the project to look for reform, in the Premiers words, "in different ways in the future."


Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, broad/webcast from CFUV Radio at the University of Victoria. He's also a contributing editor at PEJ.org. You can check out his blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com