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CBC News
October 25, 2004
B.C.
voters to choose electoral system next May
Written by CBC News Online
VANCOUVER
- When voters head to the polls May 17 to vote in British Columbia's
provincial election, they will also be asked to vote in a referendum
on whether they want to change the way they choose elected
representatives.
Currently,
the province uses the first-past-the-post electoral system. The
referendum question will ask voters if they want to switch to a
single transferable vote (STV) ballot.
This
system would allow voters to choose between candidates rather than
between parties.
The
STV system is preferred by the province's Citizens' Assembly for
Electoral Reform, which voted Sunday to switch to this system. They
also agreed that voters should have the final say in the matter.
If
voters opt for change, the STV system would be in place for the 2009
provincial election.
STV
is used by a handful of jurisdictions around the world, including
Ireland, Malta and two Australian jurisdictions.
The Citizens' Assembly for Electoral Reform was set up by the B.C.
Liberal government. It is an independent, non-partisan assembly of
citizens asked to examine the province's electoral system.
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