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COLUMN: Flex your democratic muscles as B.C. election gets underway

Election season is here. British Columbians are heading to the polls on Oct. 19 to cast their ballot in the 43rd provincial election.
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Black Press file photo.

Election season is here.

British Columbians are heading to the polls on Oct. 19 to cast their ballot in the 43rd provincial election.

While we all have the democratic right to vote, it’s also a reminder of how privileged we are to do so, considering there are other areas of the world where people are fighting for that very right.

Democracy is a participatory exercise, and it’s time to flex those muscles.

There are now 93 ridings in British Columbia, an increase from 87 in the last election cycle in 2020.

Unlike our American neighbours, the Westminster system does not directly elect a premier or prime minister. 

Most commonly, a majority of elected candidates, or MLA-designates,  based on their party affiliation will determine which party leader will hold the Premier’s office. 

However, as we learned in 2017, there can be a plurality without a majority, which led to the unprecedented Confidence and Supply Agreement between the BC NDP and the BC Green Party. 

That agreement gave the BC NDP, with 41 seats — combined with the three BC Green Party seats — a 44-seat majority over the late BC Liberal Party with 43 seats.

For the 2024 election cycle, voters in each of the 93 ridings will be presented with options to choose their regional candidate who will represent them in the Legislature. 

In Kootenay-Rockies, those four regional candidates include Sam Atwal for the BC NDP, Pete Davis for the Conservative Party of BC, Tom Shypitka, the two-term incumbent as an independent, and Kerri Wall for the BC Green Party.

Take the time to get to know them and their policy positions.

All four are active on social media are easily reachable for questions and conversations. Ask the hard questions. Ask the easy ones, too.

Voter turnout in Kootenay East (which is now being renamed to Kootenay-Rockies) was 52 per cent in 2020. That means half of registered voters cast a ballot, and that the winning candidate who received 9,897 ballots was decided by 30 per cent of all registered voters.

We can and should do better for turnout at the ballot box. There's a separate conversation to be had about proportional representation, but we live within the bounds of our imperfect First-Past-The-Post system.

The Elections BC website is a good resource for the granular details of who is eligible to vote, how to vote and where to vote. 

British Columbians can vote if they are a Canadian citizen; 18 years or older on October 19, 2024, and a resident of B.C. since April 18, 2024. There are also opportunities for advance voting and voting by mail ballot.

Being able to cast a vote isn't just a democratic right, it's a privilege, and one that we often take for granted.

Let's not forget that as the campaign gets underway.

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Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
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