Changes to election laws announced by the Stelmach government last week are necessary first steps to taking some kinks out of the system but there’s more to be done before democracy will be more accessible and work for the benefit of all Albertans.
Justice Minister Alison Redfern will present a number of changes to the legislature later this month, including empowering the chief electoral officer to appoint returning officers (not the cabinet), allowing advance voting for any reason and giving prisoners the right to vote. The province might also consider testing Internet voting during a byelection but it has decided against allowing Albertans to vote from wherever it is convenient for them on election day.
For this government, these are bold steps but it could have done a lot more to reform and improve the system, starting with a fixed date for general provincial.
The former chief electoral officer made 182 recommendations to improve the process and encourage a better turnout at the polls. The government threw out half of them. The 2008 election saw a record low turnout at the polls, long lineups for those who did bother to vote and incomplete voters’ lists. The new guy on the job doesn’t think it’s his responsibility to encourage more Albertans to vote, just to streamline the process for those who do.
The government took a pass on tightening the rules of leadership campaign finances. No surprise there. Why bother with all that paperwork to disclose $160,000 in anonymous donors who financed the premier’s leadership campaign? Wildrose Alliance leader Danielle Smith refused to disclose who supported her recent $250,000 campaign because she’s afraid the Grumpy Old Tories who contributed would be the target of reprisals by the Conservative government. That’s likely, but the rest of Albertans need to know to whom she’s beholden.
As if you don’t already give more than enough money to the government, the opposition leaders want you to be fined if you don’t vote. That’s what they do Down Under. If we need to be bribed to vote, perhaps a tax credit for those who do vote would appear less heavy-handed.
The premier thinks you are satisfied with the status quo because you have not been knocking down his door demanding electoral reforms. It’s more likely we’re just taking a break from banging our heads against the legislature’s granite wall.
Implementing the recommended changes tossed out by the government would not work in the Progressive Conservative party’s favour. They would likely change the way MLAs are elected and therefore the ease by which a minority of voters can elect a majority government.
The tendency in Alberta has been for the dominant conservative party of the day to be handsomely rewarded with a vast majority of seats in the legislature for moderate support in the polling booth. Not only has this resulted in a small and ineffective opposition voice but also it has had the continuing effect of eroding Albertans’ interest in elections and bolstering feelings that the system is unfair and unresponsive.
Proportional representation could provide an opportunity to attract more voters by allowing more voices to be heard and electing MLAs from a broader ideological spectrum. As we saw in the last few Alberta elections, voters have either held their noses and voted for the Progressive Conservatives or stayed at home, not bothering to vote for the “losing parties.”
Other Canadian provinces that have considered electoral reform have convened a Citizens’ Assembly of ordinary folks to consider the effectiveness of the current single member plurality system and other alternatives that could improve citizen participation in the democratic process.
So far, this government has dismissed the idea of a Citizens’ Assembly to promote grassroots ideas about improving the provincial electoral system. Certainly, the governing party has the most to lose if the system were turned upside down, but we’re talking about democratic reform not a popularity contest.
Do those politicians elected to represent all Albertans fear engaging ordinary Albertans in such an elitist idea because it would have the moral and democratic authority far beyond their petty politics in the legislature? Certainly the recommendations of such a grassroots convention could not be ignored.
Albertans deserve a legislature that reflects the opinions they have as a society and that provides effective representation and that provides more political parties to choose from.
MLAs need to listen.