Quick Overview of STV

A quick overview of the case for change, the Citizens' Assembly process that produced the STV recommendation, STV itself, and what people can do to help win the referendum.

What's this referendum all about?

It's about ensuring that voters get the specific MLAs they say on their ballots they want. Our current voting system doesn't do this - only about half the voters get the MLA they vote for, and the result is significant distortions between the support voters give candidates from different parties and the number of seats they win.

That sounds like a good thing, but, really, why does it matter?

Our democratic institutions need to be updated so that they better reflect our modern society and our desire as voters to have a more participative democracy. The push for reform came about because we have increasingly been losing trust in politicians and becoming cynical about the possibility of making effective change through traditional legislative processes and political involvement. Young people, in particular, see less and less reason to vote or participate politically, and if this is allowed to continue, we will sooner or later face a serious crisis of legitimacy.

Okay, but I bet some backroom party hack came up with the proposed changes so that they favour the governing party.

Not at all - the proposal comes from a Citizens' Assembly, not from party elites. In 2009, we have a unique opportunity to make a change that is being put forward by our fellow citizens, not by a political elite or by partisans with a political agenda. 160 women and men were randomly invited from all across British Columbia to represent BC in all its regional and social diversity. They took nearly a year to listen to the rest of us about how we feel government is working (or not!) and what we value in our system of voting and representation, to learn about how other places in the world vote, and to deliberate carefully about what way of voting would best suit our province and set us up for the future.

That's intriguing. What did they propose and why?

Our CA's recommendation is that we start using the Single Transferable Vote, or STV - a voting system designed to give as many voters as possible the specific representative they choose. Voters may select their representative on whatever basis matters to them - party affiliation, stance on issues, expertise, personal background and qualifications, gender, cultural identity or other considerations.

What will be different in how I actually vote?

You will use a preferential ballot which truly respects voters. You will get a single ballot which lists several candidates - typically more than one from each party. You will mark your preferred choice with a '1', and can also indicate as many additional choices as you wish (with a '2', '3', etc). With our current first past the post system, if your preferred candidate is not elected, your ballot is tossed away. With STV, counting is done in rounds so that if your first choice does not have enough support to be elected, your ballot is transferred to your second choice so that you can still have a say in who gets elected. Many voters will choose to give their next couple of preferences to other candidates from their preferred parties, but you are free to support candidates from more than one party if you wish.

Thanks! I'd like to learn more.

Just click on the links at the bottom of this page to view either our 15 minute overview of the Citizens' Assembly and why they recommended STV or our more detailed Frequently Asked Questions document.

I'm convinced. How do I help make sure this referendum passes?

Please visit our 'Connect' page - we have lots of ideas for ways you can help.