FAQ: BC's Previous Electoral Reforms and Boundaries

Has British Columbia used STV in the past? 
STV is sometimes mistaken for the system known as Alternative Vote (AV), which was used in BC in 1952 and 1953. But AV – which, like STV, uses the preferential ballot – relied on single-member, rather than multi-member districts, so – unlike STV – it did not deliver proportionality.

Why are multi-member ridings being recommended again? 
Multi-member ridings help produce proportionality. They also increase voter choice. And supporters of BC-STV say multi-member ridings can improve local representation by giving residents more than just one MLA to whom they can go with problems, concerns and issues.

British Columbia used both single and multimember districts between 1871 and 1991. By increasing or decreasing the number of seats in a district, the electoral system was able to respond to population shifts without redrawing district boundaries. Currently, district boundarys are redrawn after every second election to account for changes in population distribution.

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