We’d venture to guess that most people haven’t thought much yet about an important referendum that’s coming up this fall.
No, we’re not talking about the two that are being held CVRD-wide during the municipal elections on creating water and affordable housing functions, though these are definitely important.
We’re talking about the provincial one that’s coming on electoral reform.
We’re talking about the provincial one that’s coming on electoral reform. Elections BC announced this week that by the end of September a referendum information card will be mailed to every household in the province. Referendum packages should be arriving in the mailbox between Oct. 22 and Nov. 2, with responses mandated to be in by Nov. 30.
This is a mail-in referendum. As such, we’re concerned about voter turnout. It’s hard enough to get people out to the polls to elect someone to represent them in government these days, let alone get them to physically go to the mail.
And then there’s the fact that there will be four different voting systems on the ballot, all of which, ideally, those voting will have educated themselves about. To find out about the four choices check out elections.bc.ca/referendum
Some who feel strongly about this issue have organized campaigns, for and against, details of which we will bring you in the Citizen in the coming weeks. Their passion and insights may help you make your decision. It sure beats letting inertia make the decision for you — and us all.
We all have busy lives, but this could change the very foundation of how we choose our government for years to come. Do you feel disenfranchised if your candidate doesn’t win? Ever voted for someone you didn’t really want because you wanted someone else even less? Do you think a majority government is the only way to get anything done? If you answered yes to any of these questions we urge you to take an interest.
We encourage folks to take a few of the minutes they usually fill with watching cat videos on YouTube to find out about something that could reshape politics as we know it in B.C. Maybe have a discussion about it over dinner one night with the family. And all importantly, mark your ballot and be heard.
Don’t let this vital question be decided by only a small fraction of citizens. Because it’s going to affect us all.