British Columbia is asking its citizens if it should become the first province in Canada to move away from first-past-the-post voting.
The voting period for the province’s electoral reform referendum began Monday and runs until Nov. 30.
Voters are being asked two questions, including whether they would prefer to continue with a first-past-the-post electoral system or switch to some form of proportional representation. They can also rank three different forms of proportional representation in order of preference.
Under a first-past-the-post system, whichever candidate receives more votes than each of his or her opponents is declared the winner of the election.
Critics argue that this allows for major parties to be over-represented in legislatures based on their share of the vote, while smaller parties can be shut out entirely even if they receive a significant percentage of all votes.
People in favour of first-past-the-post often argue that proportional representation systems are too complex and do not provide as direct of a link between voters and their elected representatives.
A referendum on switching to proportional representation failed in Ontario in 2007. Voters in Prince Edward Island were in favour of making the switch when asked during a referendum in 2016, and will vote on the issue again next year.
More information on B.C.’s referendum is available on the province’s dedicated website.
