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BC-STV to be as easy as 1-2-3

Single transferable vote system will be subject to referendum on May 17

The Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform submitted its final report to the provincial government on Friday, Dec. 10, wrapping up close to a year of study and discussions. The final step will be a referendum on May 17, when British Columbians will vote on the assembly’s recommendation for a single transferable vote system.

A new "Yes" campaign, led by members of the assembly, will promote the recommendation to the public between now and May 17, when the next provincial government is elected. If the referendum is successful, the 2009 provincial election will be held according to the single transferable vote system proposed by the assembly. In the meantime, a copy of the assembly’s report will be distributed to every household in B.C. in January.

For years, British Columbia’s "first past the post" electoral system has been debated by political pundits, usually after elections when political parties become acutely aware of the difference between the popular vote and the make-up of the Legislature.

In the 2001 provincial election, the B.C. Liberal Party won 58 per cent of the popular vote but took 77 of 79 seats in the Legislature. The incumbent NDP, which earned almost 22 per cent of the popular vote, won just two seats. (The NDP has since gained one seat in a by-election.)

In the previous election the Liberals got the short end of the post when they won the popular vote by more than 40,000 ballots, 41.8 per cent of the vote compared to the NDP’s 39.5 per cent. But the Liberals only claimed 33 seats to the NDP’s 39.

As part of a campaign promise to look at alternatives to the first past the post system, the Liberal government created the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform at the beginning of 2004. The Citizens’ Assembly has 160 members – a man and a woman from each electoral district in the province, plus two First Nations representatives.

In October, after 10 months of study and more than 50 public meetings, the Citizens’ Assembly announced its recommendations for a single transferable vote (STV), that’s also known as the "easy as 1-2-3 system".

The assembly’s 16-page report is available online at www.citizensassembly.bc.ca, with translations in French, Chinese and Punjabi. There is also a much longer technical document that accompanies the recommendations that explains the background of the process and how it will work.

The draft referendum question British Columbians will vote on in May reads: "Should British Columbia change to the BC-STV electoral system as recommended by the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform? Yes/No."

In releasing the first draft of the Assembly recommendations in November, chair Jack Blaney thanked Premier Gordon Campbell for supporting the group, calling the exercise unprecedented.

"No government, in any democracy, has ever given such a charge to non-elected citizens," said Blaney. "You set new rules – the new gold standard – for the true engagement of citizens in democratic governance… And it is now being copied in Ontario, and watched around the world.."

Only seven members of the 160-person Citizens Assembly opposed the STV system, while just 11 members voted to retain the existing system. The biggest debate was over what form of proportional representation to use. Models that are in use in other countries around the world were examined.

BC-STV retains some features of the current system. For example, the total number of MLAs elected will remain at 79 and all MLAs will be elected by local ridings. As well, the ratio of voters to MLA remains the same.

An area where BC-STV differs is that there would be fewer and larger ridings, with each riding electing anywhere from two to seven MLAs, depending on riding population.

Voters would rank candidates on a ballot in the order of the voter’s preference.

BC-STV is designed to make every vote count and to reflect voters’ support for candidates and parties as closely as possible. The share of votes for candidates and parties would be reflected in their share of seats in the Legislature.

But while every vote counts, not every vote is counted equally. The vote counting system would apply a formula that takes total votes and rankings into consideration.

One benefit of this system is that it gives voters the opportunity to support independent and minority parties or candidates, while still voting strategically for major parties that reflect their values. The B.C. Green Party, which earned 12.3 per cent of the popular vote in 2001 but didn’t win any seats, is one of the parties that is expected to do better under the STV system.

Although it sounds complicated, various STV formats are already in use in Ireland, Malta, Tasmania (Australia) and the Australian Capital Territory.

There are still some details to be decided, such as how the electoral districts would be re-drawn, and how parties would select candidates in each riding. Each major party would have to have at least one candidate in each riding, plus a list of other suitable party candidates for the area if the party won more than one seat in a riding.

Although many in the Citizens Assembly believe that this new system would result in more minority governments and more fringe parties represented in the Legislature, the overriding belief among the assembly members is that political parties would be forced to work together to reach consensus on issues.

Under the current system, government policies may change direction each time a new majority government is elected. For governments to maintain power, MLAs almost always vote the party line. Opposition parties have little power to force change or compromise from majority governments.

Some Citizens Assembly members argued that minority governments will be less effective, making it harder for MLAs in minority governments to push through new policies. They also believe it’s likely that the parties will form voting blocks and make backroom deals to achieve a majority government.

West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA Ted Nebbeling said he respected the Citizens Assembly decision, but had some concerns over the system they proposed.

"It was their decision to recommend this for the referendum, so whatever they recommend I’m fine with. I think the process was very unique, and they looked at a number of different options," said Nebbeling.

"This particular (system) has a particular handicap, and that’s the complexity of who you vote for. If it gets to the public in the 2005 referendum, I’m concerned people may not understand completely how it will work and that might deter them from supporting it. They have to educate people because it is a complicated system, there’s a lot of math involved, and they have to understand what their votes will mean."

Nebbeling says it will also be more difficult for voters to understand the ballots, with several members of each party running in each riding, and a long list of names on ballots to choose from.

"To make it open for the public, to give other parties a chance at electing a person, that’s a great thing, and it’s good for people who want to run as independents," said Nebbeling.

At the same time it will likely result in minority governments, making it necessary for parties to form coalitions and share cabinet posts. While Nebbeling says this could be positive, it will make it harder for government to make unpopular but necessary decisions.

"B.C., under the existing system, allowed us as the Liberal Party to set a course that many people considered pretty tough for the province, but we committed to it because it needed to be done. Our numbers in the Legislature allowed us to pursue the tough road we needed to follow to get our economy moving again.

"That kind of path may not be doable in the future because we have to rely on a lot of parties to make the government, and all parties have different types of views on how to develop the province… it could be very difficult under the new (proposed) electoral system."

Stéphane Perron, a local Green Party worker and advocate for proportional representation, says he would like to know more about this particular system, but supports any system where the popular vote is better represented in the Legislature.

"I don’t think I fully understand everything about (the STV system), but from what I’ve read so far it sounds as if it will work towards the concept of proportional representation, while at the same time it honours the other goal of local representation as well," said Perron. "It’s different than other systems, yes, but from what I understand this system is already in use in other places, and the people there are very happy with it. We’ll have to see."

Other proportional representation systems were voted on by the Citizens Assembly, but the STV system was the clear winner of the process.

The Green Party of B.C., which would likely make significant gains as a result of proportional representation, voiced its preference for a Mixed Member Proportional voting system. The Green Party was disappointed that the STV system was chosen, but respect the decision of the Citizens’ Assembly.

"I remain strong in my belief that a Mixed Member Proportional voting system is the very best electoral reform option for B.C.," said Green Party leader Adriane Carr. "However, I have listened to people who want the chance to reform B.C.’s voting system and decided that our party can best serve democracy at this time by encouraging every B.C. citizen to learn about STV and make sure their vote is principled and informed in the May 17, 2005 referendum."

The Green Party will not ask its members and the public to vote for the STV system in the referendum.

In May of 2004, the province introduced a new Electoral Referendum Bill which will make the results of the referendum legally binding if the STV system is supported by more than 50 per cent of voters in at least 60 per cent of electoral districts.

SIDEBAR

Feds may debate electoral reform

Following on B.C.’s coattails, the federal government announced recently that it may open the debate on electoral reform in Canada. Deputy House leader Mauril Belanger is working on a plan that would allow Canadians to offer their feedback on electoral reform, and alternatives to the current first-past-the-post system.

The main forum for public input will likely be a series of town hall meetings in major centres, where the concept will be introduced and people will be asked for feedback.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has not seen Belanger’s proposal, but did mention the possibility of electoral reform in his most recent throne speech.

Other provinces currently looking at electoral reform include Ontario, New Brunswick, Quebec and PEI.



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