Quote:
Originally Posted by Doodlebug
Good argument for the proportional representation system....in 2012 election PC's won 70% of seats with only 45% of vote....not quite equal representation for all citizens.
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That's not the side-conversation killer_carlson and I are currently having. I'm saying that each electoral district should contain roughly the same number of citizens, such that a single vote has the same electoral weight in each individual riding. He's saying there's merit in certain ridings being over-represented if those regions generate greater-than-average economic output, such that a single vote in Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo (for example) is worth more than a single vote in Calgary-Elbow.
[Edit]
Here's the current situation:
Alberta's population is about 4.1 million. Of that, about 2.4 million (59%) live in the Calgary and Edmonton regions. So one would expect that Calgary and Edmonton ridings should make up ~59% of the Alberta legislature, right? That would be equal representation by population. Except that's not how our government is set up. Right now, Calgary and Edmonton combine to have 44 out of 87 seats in the government, or 50.6% representation. In other words, if you live in one of the two big cities, your individual vote is worth less than someone who lives in a rural area.