British Columbians won’t be using a new voting system for the next provincial election after  a switch to a proportional representation (PR) by 61.3%.
The 2018 Referendum on Electoral Reform package and mail in ballot from Elections B.C. is pictured in North Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. As residents of the province vote in an ongoing referendum on electoral reform, the Vote No side is cautioning that the system would allow extremists to be elected with a tiny percentage of votes and hold the balance of power with “disastrous results.” THE CANADIAN PRESS /Jonathan Hayward
Of 3,297,395 registered voters, 1.430,358 voted. Of those, 38.7% approved electoral change, said Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman.
Of votes to change to a PR system, 41.24 % supported mixed member proportional PR, 29.45% supported dual member PR and 29.51% chose urban rural.
A decision either way in the binding referendum required 50% plus one to pass.
Both NDP Premier John Horgan and BC Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver expressed disappointment at the vote.
“British Columbians have now spoken and chosen to stick with the current voting system,” Horgan said. “This referendum was held because we believe that this decision needed to be up to people, not politicians. While many people, myself included, are disappointed in the outcome, we respect people’s decision.”
Said Weaver, ““We campaigned on proportional representation because representative democracy is one of the 6 core principles of the B.C. Green Party.”
“We will continue to champion policies that will strengthen B.C’s democracy and make it more responsive to and representative of the people of B.C.,” Weaver said.
