Whereas the current First Past the Post FPTP voting system used in municipal mayoral elections in British Columbia can result in elected mayors who are not a preferred choice of a majority of voters; And whereas ranked choice voting can ensure that elected mayors have broader support from the electorate, encourage more positive campaigning, and provide voters with more choice in electing the most preferred candidate: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM petition the Province of British Columbia to amend the Local Government Act to create a ranked choice voting system for mayoral elections.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs The Province is interested in encouraging civic engagement and positive campaigning among all candidates for local government elections. Local government elections in BC are conducted using the first-past-the post FPTP system. FPTP is used by all levels of government in all jurisdictions across Canada. Ministry staff are aware of one jurisdiction Ontario where the province allowed municipalities to adopt a form of proportional representation PR for their local elections, however this authority was removed after four years and was only used by one municipality. In BC, there have been three referenda on electoral reform at the provincial level since 2005, asking voters whether to continue with FPTP or adopt a form of PR. In all three referenda, voters chose to remain with FPTP. Shifting to the use of ranked, cumulative or proportional representation by a single transferable vote PR-STV would be a fundamental shift in the administration of local elections. Any changes to the local election system would require a full understanding of the implications as well as the administrative challenges of differing systems across communities. It would also require an analysis of compatibility with the current campaign financing framework in the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, and engagement with Elections BC. PR is generally applied to electoral frameworks that are based on political parties, and while civic political parties elector organizations exist in some communities the local government framework is fundamentally based on individual i.e. independent candidates. Currently the Province does not have plans to allow municipalities to move toward a ranked or PR-STV voting system to elect the mayor or municipal council members. Such a shift would require in-depth policy analysis and require legislative change.