VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 1
District Only Voting is the most Fair and Equal system available
to our county.
Across our nation, states and counties are divided into
districts. The premise behind these divisions is that not only should we give
equal populations equal representation, but that we should recognize diversity
of needs as dictated by different geographical locations, e.g. cities have
different needs than do rural areas. Districts allow multiple geographical
areas with diverse needs an equal voice in government.
Currently, our county government has been operating under the
misguided premise that it is more fair for everyone in the county to vote on
every council position, and that every councilperson should represent the
entire county, striving to represent all citizens, no matter their
district.
The problem with this premise is that not all citizens’ or
locations HAVE the same needs or community values. Effective government
recognizes this truth and, by creating districts and electing representatives
that are residents of each, allows a diversity of community needs and values to
be equally addressed by county government.
The creation of districts, and district-only voting ensures fair
and equal representation for residents of our county. In recent elections under
the county-wide system, residents of some districts were not allowed the
privilege of selecting their own representative. Though residents of the
district voted overwhelmingly for a candidate, the population outside of their
district over-ruled their choice. They were left with a representative that
they believed did not speak for their concerns and values.
There’s nothing fair about that.
An example, simply put, would be that residents of Seattle
wouldn’t be happy if their government representatives were chosen by the
residents of Quincy or Yakima…and vice versa.
Our federal government uses district only voting in each state, and
also in our nation. If we follow the logic of the current county-wide voting,
our nation should allow every state to vote on every Senator or Congressman. No
one would say that is fair, and neither is it fair and equitable in a county
situation.
The result of county-wide voting is to disallow fair
representation for the diverse communities within the county by giving power to
the majority of voters who are more likely to live in urban centers.
If we want to see fair and equal representation for all citizens
of Whatcom County, we will approve Proposition 1, district-only voting.