How BC-STV Works - Agassiz-Harrison Observer

Agassiz-Harrison Observer - A new voting system: How it works:

In 2004, the BC legislature with all-party consent unanimously created a Citizens’ Assembly consisting of one woman and one man from each constituency to recommend to British Columbians whether to keep our voting system, or accept a new way of electing MLAs.

In the 2005 referendum, almost 58 percent of British Columbians accepted the assembly’s recommendation. It was an impressive majority; not enough to make it law, but too close to ignore. Now, we get to do it again, on 12 May. It requires 60 per cent to pass into law.

The assembly selected the single transferable vote, adapted it to our provincial needs and called it BC-STV. It joins existing ridings into multi-seat ridings consisting of two to seven seats. Within those larger ridings groups of like-minded voters will elect one MLA as their representative.