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OUR VIEW: Fear is an unfair tactic in the electoral reform referendum

Fear is a better motivator than thoughtful discussion when it comes to voting. Scary video that seems to show people’s jobs and way of life being threatened, whether true or not, can do a lot to get people to the polls and vote a certain way.
election, voting, B.C., stock photo
As voters fill out their ballots on electoral reform, fearmongering has become a way of life.

Fear is a better motivator than thoughtful discussion when it comes to voting.

Scary video that seems to show people’s jobs and way of life being threatened, whether true or not, can do a lot to get people to the polls and vote a certain way.

For the mail-in proportional representation (PR) vote, the No campaign appears to be using fear tactics and videos suggesting riots and jackboots marching in unison in its TV ads arguing that extremist parties are elected through PR.

In contrast, Fair Vote BC argues on its website that while extremist parties do sometimes get elected in small numbers, they are often left out of coalition governments so they have representation but no power.

But countering videos of riots and jackboots could be a challenge for Fair Vote BC, not to mention the group has the additional difficulty of simply explaining how the new voting system could work.

Suffice to say that voters who are interested in the topic have their work cut out for them in sorting fact from fiction.