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Time for ranked ballots?

Re: Get out and exercise your franchise (Editorial, Oct. 24)

Declining turnout is indeed a threat to our democracy and, while I am grateful that the editorial mentioned proportional representation, the issue on the municipal level can be solved far more simply — using ranked-choice voting.

In the last Winnipeg municipal election, the mayor “won” the election with only 27 per cent of the vote. Multiply that by the turnout of 37.5 per cent and the mayor’s positive mandate — the portion of the electorate that voted for him as mayor — drops to a paltry 10 per cent. That number should shock us into an awareness that the single-mark ballot has failed us miserably.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My husband died a while back, and I don’t miss him! He had grown old in a strange and cranky way, and I’m a cheerful person by nature. It was hard to hear him shoot down every idea I had to go out and do things together.

He wasn’t physically ill — just finished with having any fun. He had gotten depressed and wouldn’t take anti-depressants, although he was fine with getting drunk and critical towards me.

He was particularly negative about seeing friends and relatives, and living the active way we used to — always the first to get tickets to concerts and encouraging other friends to go with us for dinners at new restaurants. We also went to a lot of sports games, and visited friends and relatives. We arrive with lots of good food and drink.

So now when people ask me in that pitying voice used for widows, “Poor darling, how are you doing?” I respond, “He was miserable towards the end, and it was a relief when he died.” They look shocked, but it’s the truth, and they know it.