On May 17th when British Columbians...

On May 17th when British Columbians advance to the polls, you won't just be asked to pitch upon the next government, you'll also be asked to make a decision about the futurity of provincial elections.

We will each be given sum of two units ballots-one for a member of the legislative assembly and united for the referendum on electoral reform. The latter get tos after more than a year of investigation by the Citizens' Assembly forward Electoral Reform, and is based forward the recommendation this group has deposit forward.

The question for the referendum will read: Should British Columbia change to the BC-Single Transferable devoted (STV) electoral system, as praiseed by the Citizen's Assembly forward Electoral Reform?

To pass, the referendum must be approved by means of 60% of the voters, and according to the majority of voters in at least 48 of the 79 electoral districts. If voter endorse the BC-STV regularity it will be used for the nearest provincial election, which is scheduled for May 2009

Strangely, hardly any people seem to know a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of about this proposal; for example, in an Ipsos-Reid individual conducted in February 2005, solitary 50% of British Columbians said they had read, seen or heard anything about the province-wide referendum Moreover, awareness doesn't necessarily signify knowledge: Nearly 63% of those who said they were aware of this issue admitted they knew "very little" or "nothing" about the propos electoral system

While the Institute has no position either for or against the STV we do believe it's critical that members, and all British Columbians, know about the propos rule so that they can make informed decisions. The information for this article proceeds primarily from the Referendum Information Office, which is operated on Elections BC.

The Citizens' Assembly

Launched in May 2003 the Citizens' Assembly forward Electoral Reform was composed of brace randomly selected citizens (one male, the same female) from each of the province's 79 electoral districts, plus pair randomly selected First Nations members and a chairperson-amounting to a total of 161 members.

The group's mandate was twofold: to assess different prototypes for electing members of the legislative assembly and to commit whether the current system for provincial elections should be retained or a novel model should be adopted. athwart the course of 11 month the assemblage studied voting systems, held 50 public hearings, and read 1603 written submissions.

First past the pillar vs. STV

BC's current electoral body is known as "first past the post" (FPTP) This is the same a whole used by all other provinces in Canada. subordinate to this system, one elected MEA succors in each riding. The winning candidate is the individual who gets the most voices in a particular riding.

Generally the FPTP classification is regarded as one that:

* Encourages fewer, larger, and more inclusive political parties;

* nurses to produce majority governments;

* Is simple to use and understand; and

* Maintains a direct link between local representatives and their constituencies.

By contrast, the propos STV standard is designed to produce a proportional outcome The goal of this arrangement is to ensure that the number of seats won from a political party is consistent with its share of the overall popular ballot STV is currently in use in Ireland and Australia. The rationale behind the STV theory is that:

* It might better think proportional results (i.e. % of devoted with % of seats);

* It is more likely to effect minority governments;

* It gives voter a greater number of candidates to pick from on the election ballot; and

* It maintains a link between MLAs and local areas.

Under the STV combination of parts to form a whole there would be fewer ridings in BC yet each riding would elect more than undivided MLA, which means the total number of MLAs would stay the same. Voter would rank their estimations from their first-choice candidate down (through as many candidates as they want). There would be a minimum number of ballots required to win in each riding, and a proces of transferring voters' other third, and subsequent choices would be used to determine which candidates prepare elected.

To find out more about this proposal, visit the website of the Referendum Information Office at www.gov.bc.ca/referendum_info/.

By Michelle McCormick, Manager of Public Affairs

Copyright Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia May 2005

Provided through ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved