Summary: Citizens assembly referendum in British Columbia postponed until May 2009. Actual election using it will be years later.
Publication: McCleans
Title: Referendum on electoral process in B.C. delayed to 2009
Date: April 27, 2006
For the article, click here.
VICTORIA (CP) - B.C. residents hoping for a change in the way MLAs are elected will have to wait a little longer for a second attempt.
A referendum on electoral reform was to be held along with municipal elections in November 2008.
But Premier Gordon Campbell said Thursday the vote will now be held in tandem with the next provincial election in May of 2009.
That's because the Chief Electoral Officer raised concerns that if people vote for changes in 2008, there wouldn't be enough time to implement them for the 2009 election.
"I recognize that this decision may disappoint some," Campell said in the legislature.
"However, the government believes it is best to heed the advice of the chief electoral officer."
The referendum will allow voters to choose between the current first-past-the-post system, or one called the Single Transferable Vote - or STV - where people can rank their choices among several candidates.
The STV system was recommended by a citizens assembly that studied the subject of electoral reform over several months of hearings.
The government promised to hold a second referendum on electoral reform after a vote held during last year's provincial election narrowly defeated the STV option.
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