Would you like to live in a fairer, more compassionate world where community issues are are given consideration and you are inspired to have someone and something to vote for?

This fall we will have a historic, once in a generation opportunity to say goodbye to First Past the Post, a dysfunctional political system that has resulted in Donald Trump and Doug Ford being elected despite having less than the popular vote, and a government dedicated to the whims of corporate lobby groups who put profits before people and planet.

Elections BC will start sending ballots regarding BC’s Pro Rep Referendum to registered voters by Oct. 22nd, who have until Nov. 30th to return them by post.

Two questions will be on the ballot:

1. Which system should British Columbia use for provincial elections? (vote for one only)
   A) The current First Past the Post voting system.
   B) A proportional representation voting system.
2. If British Columbia adopts a proportional representation voting system, which of the following systems do you prefer? (Rank in order of preference. You may choose to support one, two or all three of the systems) Dual Member Proportional (DMP), Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) or Rural-Urban Proportional (RUP)

Even if you haven’t all the information about the different systems, or don’t follow politics, it’s imperative to vote YES to Proportional Representation in the first question, especially if you value accountability, your rights and freedoms, how your tax dollars are spent and want your interests better represented and served. Answering the second question is optional.

Because anything is better than our current First Past the Post system, all of the alternatives in the second question are workable. So either leave question two blank or rank it in order of what you feel might be best. This video quickly explains the various options:

Be sure to encourage your friends, family, and co-worker too and get your ballot back into the mail before November 30th so BC can lead the way and inspire other provinces to be the real change we want to see.

Thanks to the BCGEU for endorsing Proportional Representation and providing information that helps explain why we need to vote YES for PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.

FYI: More than 80 democratic countries are using Proportional Representation systems. Canada, the US and Great Britain are the only “democratic” countries to still use First Past The Post. This system was initially based on a horse race with the first horse to pass the post creating a winner-take-all system for the wealthy ruling class.

For more information visit www.fairvote.ca and follow the FairVote Facebook page.