FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BC-STV campaign tops online buzz
Online momentum growing as citizens demand electoral reform
Vancouver, BC – As election 2009 kicks off, the BC-STV campaign for electoral reform is creating the biggest buzz online, outpacing all of the main political parties in BC. Thousands of British Columbians who support electoral reform have joined the campaign online creating extremely valuable social media and fundraising networks. In fact, on the popular social networking site, Facebook, the YES for BC- STV group (Single Transferable vote), has attracted nearly double the number supporters than have joined the NDP and BC Liberal party Facebook groups. And, online support for BC-STV is growing daily.
“This amazing groundswell of support online on sites such as Facebook and Twitter and to our website underscores the grassroots foundation of our campaign,” said Tony Roy, deputy campaign manager. “We're not a political party. We're just average folks of all ages and party stripes who are coming together,
many of us for the first time, to help create real and lasting change to our political system.”
As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2009 here is how the current numbers stack up:
- Yes for BC-STV: 4244
- No for BC -STV: 147
- BC NDP: 1300
- BC Liberal Party: 854
- BC Greens: 901
- Gordon Campbell: 1395
- Carole James: 1457
- Jane Sterk: 118 [Actually, that number refers to the wrong profile; the correct profile has 276 - Ocean]
Blaize Horner Reich, a professor in the SFU Segal Graduate School of Business and a specialist in technology and innovation, agrees.
“We saw the remarkable impact of social media on the recent election of President Barack Obama in the United States,” said Reich. “The desire for change is a powerful force and we are seeing a groundswell of British Columbians coming together online to demand a fairer electoral system in our province.”
Voters can join the online conversation about electoral reform in the Facebook group YES for BC-STV and at Twitter or by visiting the BC-STV website for more information.
On May 12, in a province wide referendum on electoral reform, voters will have a chance to make history and choose between the current “first-past-the-post” system and the STV system that was recommended overwhelmingly [146 to 7!] by the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. In the last election, BC-STV received more votes than any political party, nearly 58 per cent. However, the referendum requires 60 per cent approval to be adopted by the government.
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Hey Greens! Get a move on, will you? Become a friend of Jane Sterk and join the BC Greens Facebook group!
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