BC-STV campaign tops online buzz

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:  
 
Facebook group   (Number of members) 
Yes for BC-STV (4244)
No for BC -STV (147)
BC Liberal Party (854)
BC NDP (1300)
BC Greens  (901)
Gordon Campbell (1395)
Carole James   (1457)
Jane Sterk  (118)
 
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 www.twitter.com/BCSTV or by visiting www.stv.ca 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 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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For more information please contact:
Joanna Wyatt
604-970-3236
Joanna.wyatt@telus.net
www.stv.ca