The Real Surprise

The real surprise in the 2005 referendum was not simply the 57.69% that voted in favour of BC-STV or the 97.47% of the Electoral Districts that was also in favour of BC-STV. THE SURPRISE WAS WERE THIS STRONG SUPPORT FOR BC-STV CAME FROM!

With all the excitement of the Citizens' Assembly and the recommendation of the BC-STV Electoral Reform it was expected that there would be a large increase in the VOTER TURNOUT on Election Day. This was supported by the fact that their was a large spike in the VOTER REGISTRATION, so much so that it gave us the largest number of eligible voters that actually registered of 93.31%.

Since the 1983 election when we topped the VOTER TURNOUT at 77.66% we have steadily declined in VOTER TURNOUT to the low point of 70.95% in 2001. Everyone thought that it would be a struggle between the regular voters that always turn out to vote and the new voters that came out to vote in support of BC-STV. That this would be a election with a rather high VOTER TURNOUT.

Leading up to the 2005 referendum the VOTER TURNOUT had dropped a few percentage points in each election from 1983 to 2001;

• 1983      77.66%
• 1986      77.19%
• 1991      75.07%
• 1996      71.50%
• 2001      70.95%

These percentages are the percentage of voters from the Registered Voters List, the percentages are lower still when compared to the Eligible Voters List. As one can see there is a slow and steady decline in VOTER TURNOUT over 5 elections, small but steady, the biggest decline was in the 1996 when the decline was just over 3%. In 2005 there was a large increase in the REGISTERED VOTER and this was expected to carry out to produce a large increase in the VOTER TURNOUT. 

SHOCK that shook the POLITICAL WORLD;

The actual VOTER TURNOUT for the 2005 election was THE BIGGEST DROP IN THE HISTORY OF OUR PROVINCE - 62.36%. Prior to 2005 our lowest VOTER TURNOUT was 65.29% in 1945. How can this be - over 8 percentage points lower than in 2001?

This is what FRIGHTENED the POWERS THAT BE.

This low VOTER TURNOUT means that it was the OLD REGULAR VOTERS that supported BC-STV, the steady voters that vote at every election are the voters that want ELECTORAL REFORM. The so-called NEW VOTERS that had created a large spike in VOTER REGISTRATION did not even both to vote.

THE POWERS THAT BE were positive that the regular voters would vote against the BC-STV as they always vote anyway and seemed perfectly happy with the STATUS-QUO (FPTP). They believed the voters that would support BC-STV would be the voters that are not happy with the STATUS-QUO and do not always vote anyway.

With the realization that it is the vary foundation of our VOTERS that are truly wanting CHANGE is a very scary thing if one's POWER is in the STATUS-QUO. It was with this realization the Mr. Campbell changed the second referendum to the 2009 election. With the REGULAR VOTERS wanting change makes for some very UNSURE STATE for the POLITICIANS OF ALL STRIPS. It is this unsure state that also cause the BC-STV-gag law to materialize in February of 2009, three months before the 2009 election.

THE POWERS THAT BE took a united big breathe of relief when the 2009 results showed only 39% of the Popular Vote supported the BC-STV. They managed to sabotaged the ELECTORAL REFORM. However, 2009 did offer another surprise, another large drop in VOTER TURNOUT to a new record low of 55.14%, over 7 percentage points lower and the first time we have dropped below 60%.

What I mean by the 'POWERS THAT BE' is not just the Political Parties, Politicians, Political Scientist but also other movers & shakers - Unions, Businesses, and the Media as well. ALL of them have an interest in the Status-quo. The MEDIA did not make a story out of this issue of the PASSION FOR CHANGE COMING FROM THE FUNDAMENTAL VOTER.