To the Editor,
The Ontario election shows us what we can expect if we don’t change our electoral system to the more democratic proportional representation (PR).
Ontario voters voted against change and for the status quo (first past the post, or FPTP) in 2007. In this election Ontario voters were faced with having to vote against rather than for a party. They had to vote for a party they dislike to prevent a party they dislike even more, from becoming the governing party. Their other recourse is to stay home and not vote at all.
FPTP ensures that smaller parties have no chance at all of electing a candidate, or if they do manage to get on the board, the number of seats they’ll win will not even come close to reflecting their per cent of the popular vote. Such is the perversion of democracy that is FPTP.
Daryl Sturdy, Vancouver