Editor:
Re: Tushar Jain’s letter of Oct. 28 (‘Dismayed to see democracy taken for granted’):
Jain expressed a common conclusion among voters. The inherent flaws of the first past the post electoral system are low voter turnout, wasted votes and distorted results.
Politicians want us to believe in voter apathy, laying the blame for low voter turnout on the voters.
Another explanation is voters have disengaged, as in made a reasoned decision to not participate because the system does not allow our real participation. Disengagement lays the blame on politicians responsible for not providing adequate participation to want to continue voting.
Advocates of first past the post have the power of the press on their side. Advocates of electoral reform have to use another form advocacy. What could it be? A majority of voters have a superficial understanding of politics, thus being compliant and complacent.
I came across this in a science fiction novel: “Ignorance can be fixed, stupidity is forever.”
How to get voters to understand the media is bamboozling voters with untruths, half-truths and lies in order to keep the politicians in power?
One wonders why the politicians cannot understand (or choose to not understand) that electoral reform would be in their own best interest — and ours.
Ray Jones
Kamloops
