The MLA for Kamloops South says he is growing increasingly alarmed about the lack of engagement in the proportional representation referendum.
Todd Stone says very few people know there is a referendum, his key takeaway after touring the riding to talk about electoral reform.
“It is a civic responsibility that we all have. Nothing is more important than how we elect our MLAs. So educate yourself and make sure you participate in this process and vote.”
Stone says the referendum is being lost in the background of local government elections.
And Stone says that might be by design.
“I think it is unfortunate that the referendum campaign is laid right on top of a municipal campaign. There is a lot of people focused on October 20th and who their mayor, Councillor, or their area director is going to be. I would suggest that was a deliberate decision the NDP government made. I am not sure that they want people to be as engaged in this process as I think that people should be.”
Stone says further hindering efforts to highlight the vote are the tight restrictions on advertising.
“Even putting a Facebook post up as the MLA I am not allowed to spend five-bucks to boost that post because that it would an illegal expenditure during this campaign period.”
Elections BC will begin mailing out ballots in a few weeks.
Those ballots must be mailed back by November 30th.
If you want to learn more about the referendum, how to vote, what it is about, and details on three proportional representation systems on the ballot Elections BC has online resources for you HERE