Vorschlag, die Wahlgrenzen von Alberta neu zu erzeugen
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-election-boundaries-lethbridge-neudorf-miyashiro-1.7612837
Vorschlag, die Wahlgrenzen von Alberta neu zu erzeugen
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-election-boundaries-lethbridge-neudorf-miyashiro-1.7612837
8 Kommentare
>Alberta’s Electoral Boundaries Commission Act states most ridings must have populations no more than 25 per cent above or below the average.
>Calgary and Edmonton currently have nine constituencies more than 25 per cent above the provincial average.
First of all, 25% seems wildly high as if the act was written with legalizing packing in favor of one group over another. Given these are completely arbitrary lines drawn randomly on a map, I see no reason such a large discrepancy should be allowed. Secondly, the fact the most conservative province has obviously packed the most liberal ridings is a clear sign of political interference. Conservatives would howl and holler if rural ridings were packed to have more voters, while urban ridings were spread out more to dilute the conservative vote. Alberta’s election mapping process is in clear need of reform.
Geographical boundaries were historically necessary, but I’m not convinced they still are.
What if we just let everyone run “at large” and give a seat to every candidate who attains a minimum threshold of votes? That would seem to be gerrymander-proof, while also “undisenfranchising” those whose votes are currently wasted due to living in an area where their views are in a minority.
> But three proposals — from Neudorf, Coaldale Deputy Mayor Lisa Reis and the Coaldale Chamber of Commerce — advocate changing that in favour of rural-urban alternatives.
Splitting cities into urban/rural ridings is absolutely gerrymandering. They are only proposed to dilute more progressive cities with more conservative rural areas. The people and concerns are very different. They should be kept separate when possible. Depending on size, some mixing might be needed but not at all to this degree. They’re deliberately carving up a city.
> For decades, the mid-sized city of Lethbridge has been split into two ridings, Lethbridge-East and Lethbridge-West.
Sounds like Lethbridge might have grown a bunch if this is being brought up, so you might need a third Lethbridge riding. Nothing wrong with that. Let’s read further to understand.
> Coaldale’s submission includes a map that suggests four new constituencies: Lethbridge-Cardston, Lethbridge-Livingstone, Lethbridge-Little Bow and Lethbridge-Taber.
Nevermind, just an extremely partisan UCP proposal to gerrymander Lethbridge so that the UCP would likely easily win those seats, by dissolving the city into the existing four bordering rural ridings. In addition, Lethbridge city residents lose their voice in the legislature as it constituents would likely be all represented by rural MLAs who are focused on the rural parts of their riding.
Is there any reason the provinces couldn’t empower Elections Canada to take care of riding definitions provincially as well as federally? Or create an analog if they don’t want to use the federal body?
I mean, other than they actually do want to gerrymander ridings?
I kind of knew this type of move would happen during the redrawing of electoral boundaries.
Make no mistake, 2023 spooked the hell out of the UCP. They came within a whisker of defeat and they have no intention of allowing that to happen again if they can help it.
“Integrated agricultural economy” please give me a break. You want to take 2 seats the NDP can win and turn them into 4 rock solid UCP ridings. As if Alberta’s map isn’t already outrageously tilted towards rural areas.
Enough of this farce. Give the cities the representation they deserve based on population and stop this affirmative action for rural conservatives.
The UCP is displeased that Lethbridge has been becoming more progressive and desperately wants to shut that down. Instead of actually doing anything to make our lives better, they’ve decided to push for gerrymandering to suppress our democratic voice.
So the 25% threshold discussed here is from the Supreme Court. Anyway, it can and should be reduced, but Alberta in my lifetime has actually been pretty good about staying within the lines. BC is the province full of rotten Burroughs.
Lethbridge is currently awkwardly populated for means of redistribution. The UCP are only adding 2 seats (87 to 89) when the population of the province has grown by roughly a million since 2011. Every seat boundary has to be adjusted massively to account for this. If Alberta pegged itself to the last average seat size (42,000 iirc) then Lethbridge could easily be three ridings by just adding in either fort macleod, picture butte or Taber.
As it stands they’ll probably stick with two above average urban ridings, but they won’t be too much about average.
While this proposal does smack of partisan gerrymandering, the real thing to watch for is how the UCP handles what should be an inevitable consolidation of stagnant or shrinking rural ridings.