Dear Editor,
Re: Not kidding about one-horse race, April 26
Your editorial should be an alarm bell for the deterioration of democracy in this province.
I see now there are actually three candidates running in the Highwood riding. Good. However, there is a lot of talk in both the news as well as social media about “vote splitting.”
Voters are concerned that the government they really don’t want will be elected because the vote will be split among others, thereby allowing their least desired party to win. Fear tactics are rolled out to try to intimidate voters to vote against something rather than voting for their preferred policies, platforms and candidates.
That argument is a load of horse manure.
Our democracy runs on the principle of choosing who you want as a representative. Each ballot is a testament to that reality. You select who you want to be your MLA. There is no option to vote against a candidate. There is no option to split your vote among two candidates. There is no “none of the above” option.
It’s also important to note that ‘First past the post’ election results do not fairly represent the will of people (see www.fairvote.ca).
Alberta needs a collaborative minority government, not a combative false majority.
In a multi-party legislature, we can start talking about citizens assemblies, leading to electoral reform and recommendations to move to proportional representation. Yukon is doing it now.
I, for one, do not want to see a further shift to American-style partisan polarization and constant mudslinging between politicians.
How is that going to encourage people to participate in our democracy? Or maybe that’s the unscrupulous motive behind these shameful tactics?
Gordon Petersen
Okotoks
