Numbers don’t make for a democracy

Encouraging more occupiers and owners to vote doesn’t necessarily mean more democracy.

Firstly, the potential for a business to register to vote has little to do with how much it contributes to the city.

Every business that can show some proof (there is some conjecture as to how much evidence is needed, but some form of lease agreement is an example) it operates in Perth can register two voters.

In theory, a small West Perth office with 10 companies operating from that address could register 20 voters, while Woodside Limited, which has just built a vast tower and probably changed the western end of the CBD by bringing in enough employees to fill an office block, may have just two votes.

For owners there is also a multiplier. An individual owner gets a vote in his or her own right. Joint owners each get a vote. If a company owns a property it may nominate two people to be registered. If multiple companies own part of a property they can each nominate two people to vote on their behalf.