by Harvey Oberfeld
October 26, 2018
An impressive province-wide result of BC’s civic elections was the degree of change we all witnessed: new mayors, new councillors, new parties with new ideas winning new popular support, new school board and new park board commissioners, and many new political results, rankings, rises … and falls.
Think about it: isn’t that PROOF POSITIVE that first-past-the-post voting works???
Even small, previously unheard of party organizations … and individuals … found themselves winning seats and a say in their communities’ future.
Living in Vancouver, I could not help but notice the MAJOR changes the voters opted for … substantially changing the political face of city governance for the next four years.
Amazingly, in Vancouver, an INDEPENDENT was elected as Mayor! The party that controlled/dominated the Mayoralty, Council, the city’s various boards and for 10 years the city’s direction/ideology/policies … Vision … was almost obliterated; the NPA winning 5 seats on Council, the Greens capturing 3; COPE 1 and a new party, One City 1 seat. The park and school boards also saw similar CHANGES.
In other municipalities as well, other incumbent politicians were toppled; new leaders and representatives were given chances to govern and set policies, agendas, directions.
ALL under the first-past-the-post electoral system: those who received THE MOST VOTES for the number of positions available WON!!!
No convoluted handing out of legislative seats via party lists; no complicated mathematical vote weighting system that few understand; no fears that people allocated seats through votes in other parts of the province can have powers/impact the balance of power, affecting you; and, no unbalances, where some ridings will have one MLA and others two (never tried before in any democracy anywhere in the world).
First-past-the-post … contrary to the propaganda put forward by those pushing the complicated, potentially blackmail-encouraging balance of power proportional systems … does give smaller parties and even independents a better chance of achieving victories and even power.
Just look at the BC civic election results only a week ago!
