2017-05-07

On Voting in British Columbia's Provincial General Election, 2017, May 9, Tuesday

When you go to the polls on Tuesday, please remember that we live in a representative Parliamentary democracy and that you are voting for a PERSON to represent you and your local constituency in the British Columbia Legislature. Your Member of the Legislative Assembly is responsible to you the voter, not to a party nor a party leader and it is the Legislative Assembly that creates the government and that government is responsible to the Legislative Assembly.
VOTE THE PERSON and, as you consider each candidate for election to the British Columbia legislature in your riding, please ask yourself how your views on each specific public issue match with the views expressed or implied by each candidate, recognizing that a 100% match cannot be possible, then ask, if elected, will this candidate:
  • Represent the views of your own local constituency when it comes to issues that affect the province as a whole (in contrast to representing some party line back to your local constituency)?
  • Represent the views of your local constituency when it comes to issues that affect the constituency itself (in contrast to representing some party line back to your local constituency)?
  • Be free to vote in the legislature by conscience and the will of your own local constituency (in contrast to being subject to getting whipped by a party Whip in the legislature)?
  • Have integrity and be energetic and capable of following through with commitments made during the election campaign?
  • Be an articulate and intelligent spokesperson for your riding within the legislature?
If we all vote the person rather than vote the party and our MLAs know that we are voting the person and holding them responsible to us, the voters in their own constituencies, and not responsible to some party or party leader, then we can break the representative democracy-distorting power of political parties and return policy origination back to our Legislative Assembly and its committees, away from party conventions and back rooms.