Fair Voting BC challenges government on referendum commitment

Fair Voting BC challenges government on referendum commitment (November 30, 2007)

VICTORIA -- Yesterday, the British Columbia government caucus issued a press release on Bill 39 indicating that the electoral boundaries legislation was likely to be withdrawn, because the NDP is not prepared to support it. The government caucus also indicated that it will likely vote against the recommendation of the Electoral Boundaries Commission, which means that the next election could be contested using the same electoral districts that were adopted based on the 1996 census, making no accommodation for population changes in the last decade.

Of more concern to Fair Voting BC is that the government made a throne speech commitment to hold a referendum on the STV electoral system, in which a map of STV ridings would be presented alongside a new map of single member ridings. If the Electoral Boundaries Commission report is rejected, there will be no maps for voters to reference in the coming referendum. Fair Voting BC is concerned that this action could jeopardize the government’s commitment to resolve the impasse created by the 2005 results with a second referendum in 2009.

“We are calling on the government today to re-affirm their commitment to holding a referendum on the STV system, whether or not the Electoral Boundaries Commission report is implemented,” said Bruce Hallsor, President of Fair Voting BC. “This government has already acknowledged that the 58% of British Columbians who voted for STV in the last referendum cannot be ignored, and this government needs to state clearly that it will hold a referendum regardless of its position on the Electoral Boundaries recommendations,” he added.

Bruce Hallsor, President, Fair Voting BC

The STV system was recommended by the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral reform, and won the support of a majority of voters in 77 out of 79 ridings in the last election. It provides for more accountable local representation by creating multi-member ridings, where voters will have a variety of candidates to consider from their party or parties of preference. Election results under STV also more accurately reflect voters’ intentions. With first-past-the-post, British Columbians once had a government formed by a party that lost the popular vote (NDP in 1996) and often experience governments with exaggerated majorities (the Liberals in 2001 gained 77 of 79 seats with 57% of the votes).