| Re: "Just Vote No," by Tim Hammell, Letters, February 19 to February 25.
As a member of a local chapter of the organization Fair Vote Canada, I disagree with his opinions re: voting strategy. The matter Hammel raised happens to be quite timely, in that there is an imminent federal election, and, in fact, FVC Alberta met last Saturday, February 21, to address this very issue. However, he comments quite cynically on Fast Forward’s editorial policy, which does adroitly target its demographic and reading audience's political tastes. I believe that Fast Forward is ready to take its political coverage to the next step, which would involve doing something concrete about our political system: specifically, reforming those inequalities involved in our voting methods.
I don't see this in Hammell's venting. The sentiment he invokes is now old and has persisted for years. Voter alienation is a given in our political climate, particularly as our inequitable voting system continues to ensconce it. Granted, given that circumstance, I don't expect many people, including him, have heard of alternative voting systems elsewhere in the world, which typically involve proportional representation (PR), which FVC itself advocates to replace our present system.
I am further reminded of the "Nobody For President" election campaigns in the 1970s staged by Woodstock announcer Wavy Gravy. But these – complete with the empty limousines carrying the non-existent candidate – seem to have drawn upon prevailing ideas that the electoral system in the U.S. had become too heavily imbalanced in favour of the presidency. I believe, however, that Canada's British parliamentary system is more amenable to electoral reform.
More generally, voter apathy has increased in recent years, to the extreme of youth becoming completely alienated. Concomitant to this, Hammell evinces a quite nihilistic attitude prevalent among the rest of the potential voting population. So he wants to be able to mark ballots "None of the above?" This too, has been done in the U.S. – with similar difficulties. Doesn't this parallelly futile effort point out that electoral reform would take care of this eventuality – but in a more positive way? PR would bring in good candidates: that's the whole point – the present system is rigged against their successful campaigning. Tired sentiments like Hammell's are counterproductive – the type of politicians now in office love this sort of "stay at home" attitude: the electorate that does come out, votes specifically for them. A better voting system with greater and better choices will have the effect of also bringing out presently alienated voters.
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