Accountability

Charge: Multi-member districts sever the link between MLAs and their constituents. Since there is more than one MLA , each MLA can shift blame onto the others which will reduce accountability.

Under the current system there is very little accountability in many of the ridings because they have ‘safe seats’ and the MLAs do not need to worry about losing an individual’s vote but rather just keeping their party happy to secure their own nomination in future elections. Under STV there will be much greater competition between candidates, even within a party. This added competition provides more incentive for the MLAs to work that much harder to do a good job in representing their constituents in each district to ensure that they get the votes needed in the next election. Even the smaller districts, with only 2 or 3 MLAs, will be very competitive in determining which party will win the final seat. An MLA that shifts the blame onto another will not likely be re-elected and most MLAs would avoid doing that in recognition of the ramifications. This increased competition improves accountability. All of the MLAs will be more accountable because if they individually lose support of their constituents then they won’t be re-elected, support may shift to another candidate within the same party or to a candidate of a different party.

Detailed comments from Antony Hodgson (1),

… how much more accountable can an MLA be than under STV? With FPTP, the NDP voters have zero power to remove a Liberal MLA from office - they have to rely on that MLA losing support from a large portion of their own Liberal supporters before that will happen. With STV, they would have chosen their own MLA and would have the power to remove that MLA from office if they were unhappy with them. Even better, they could replace the MLA with another NDP candidate - they wouldn't have to go over to the other side to show their displeasure.

… STV seems to me to provide real representation - I can help elect the MLA who seems most suitable to me, and those with different political views can't do anything about it. The best they can do is choose the MLA they like best, and then our two representatives will discuss the issues in the legislature and other public forums, where such discussion belongs.

(1) Re: BC-STV Follow-up Comments by Antony Hodgson, Oct 7^th, 2008, http://theleftcoast.ca/blog/_archives/2008/8/27/3858137.html#1174626