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Burma Shave Wave in Vernon

The event was put on by Fair Vote Vernon to promote Proportional Representation
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Fair Vote Vernon took to the streets on Saturday to promote proportional representation. (Brieanna Charlebois/Morning Star)

Fair Vote Vernon spent Saturday greeting traffic with a Burma Shave wave at the bottom of Hospital Hill.

“We are here, urging people to vote for proportional representation,” said group member Heather Clay. “This is a huge opportunity that the government is giving us to get it right. We’re tired of governments that are only elected by 40 per cent or less of the population making all the decisions and we want to make that proportional.. to the number of votes they get.”

The event was aimed to bring awareness and persuade voters on the topic of proportional representation. Proponents took to the streets by Highway 97 and 25th Avenue sporting signs that encouraged the community to vote for proportional representation— an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them.

Click here to see our live footage from the Shave wave.

“I think that proportional representation is really a crucial thing for our time,” said group member Sarah Rose. “I think democracy is really under threat and the [first] past the post system is not working for us anymore.”

Rose said that Fair Vote Vernon believes that any form of proportional representation would be better than the current system and that by passing the referendum this fall, B.C. has the opportunity to set an example for the rest of the country.

The Shave wave was only set to run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. but continued into the afternoon.

Related: Vernon group urges fair vote

The B.C. government is giving voters a chance to choose Proportional Representation through a referendum this fall. The mail-in referendum ballot must be completed and returned between Oct. 22 and Nov. 30.

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brieanna.charlebois@vernonmorningstar.com

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