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Tom Monto

2018 BC referendum - many districts in favour of change

Updated: Aug 13, 2020

In 2018 BC hald a province-wide referendum on changing from the First past the post electoral system.


Province-wide, a majority voted to stay with First past the post.


BUT 39 percent voted for change.


A majority in each of these districts voted for change:

Esquimalt-Metchosin 53 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Kootenay-West 51 percent (Voters favoured RUP as the alternative.)

Langford- Juan de Fuca 51 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Nelson-Creston 57 percent (Voters favoured RUP as the alternative.)

New Westminster 51 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Oak Bay - Gordon Head 53 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Powell River-Sunshine Coast 54 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Saanich North and the Islands 51 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Vancouver - Fairview 58 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Vancouver - False Creek 51 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Vancouver- Hastings 62 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Vancouver-Mount Pleasant 74 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Vancouver Point Grey 53 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Vancouver West End 61 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Victoria Beacon Hill 66 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)

Victoria Swan Lake 65 percent (Voters favoured MMP as the alternative.)


These districts had near-majorities in favour of change:

Cowichan Valley 47 percent

Mid Island- Pacific Rim 48 percent

Nanaimo-North Cowichan 49.6

North Coast 47 percent

Vancouver Kensington 49 percent

West Vancouver Sea to Sky 49 percent.


Recall that Rural-Urban Proportional (RUP) would have used STV by grouping urban and semi-urban districts into larger districts, while leaving rural districts as single-member FPTP districts, and using some top-up seats to provide proportionality at the provincial or sub-provincial level.


RUP was the only option that used STV, a personal favourite of this blog-man.

All three options had pairs of different mechanisms while not giving voters basic choices about how much technical tinkering they wanted, as I state in other blog.


Despite the range of options - three;

the straitjacket offered voters - three pre-determined pairings;

the need to get majority overall to change anywhere; and

despite the lack of clear definition of how the alternatives would work;

many voted for change.


Meanwhile Victoria where majority in favour of change is still stuck using First past the post. No change can be brought in because majority elsewhere voted against change.


Vancouver was almost evenly split between those in favour of change and those opposed.


Thanks for reading.

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