The current electoral system in BC is Single Member Plurality, otherwise known as First Past The Post (FPTP). In this system, a voter gives one vote to one candidate in one electoral district. Each political party runs one candidate in each electoral district. The candidate with the most votes in the electoral district wins and is charged with representing all voters in the electoral district.
The proposed electoral system is a customised version of Single Transferable Vote (STV) called BC-STV. In this system, each electoral district will have between 2 and 7 seats depending on its population and geographic size. The anticipated outcome would be proportional representation while avoiding the use of party lists, something the Citizen's Assembly felt would be unpopular with British Columbians.
The question asked was: Should British Columbia change to the BC-STV electoral system as recommended by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform?
Option
Popular Vote
Districts carried
#
%
#
%|-
X
No
719,716
42.31%
2
2.53%|-
Yes*
981,419
57.69%
77
97.47%|-
Total
1,701,135
100.0%
79
100.0%|}
* In order to pass, the referendum had to receive 60% of the province-wide popular vote and a simple majority in 60% (48 of 79) of the electoral districts.
The unexpectedly high popularity of the voting reform surprised many. The referendum campaign received little media attention, as both parties were officially neutral on the proposed change. Few special interest groups likewise expressed any interest in the campaign, and as a result supportive and critical advertisements and promotions were largely conducted only by a couple of small "ad hoc" citizen groups.
Among critical voices, many argued the STV system was simply too confusing to understand. Indeed, at least two-thirds of British Columbians admitted having "little or no" knowledge of how the proposed STV system would operate in practice. Yet despite this, the measure gained a 57.6% approval in the province on voting day. Many pundits have since interpreted the high endorsement as an indication that British Columbians are simply desperate for any change to the electoral / political system in the province, and thus are likely to view any reform as being an improvement over the status quo.
Upon re-election, Premier Gordon Campbell pledged that there was a clear mandate for electoral reform, and although the STV referendum did not pass, he would explore other possible voting reform options during his second term. While some in the electoral reform community expressed concern that this might lead to the imposition of a "watered-down" and/or partisanly-stilted system by the Legislature, this no longer appears likely. In the Speech from the Throne the following September, Campbell indicated that the referendum would be rerun in conjunction with the B.C. municipal elections in November 2008 with better financing and a completed set of proposed boundaries. BC-STV would remain intact as the proposed alternative to FPTP. More controversially, the 60% threshold would also remain in place. In April of 2006, the date was changed so that the referendum will take place with the next provincial election in May 2009}}.
