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  • An MMP Electoral System for BC in 2025

    Electoral Reform June 21, 2025 , by

    Fairer for Everyone – Improved Democracy, Election Results that Reflect Voters’ Real Intentions

    This is an updated proposal for a Mixed Member Proportional voting system for BC based on one originally developed by “Free Your Vote” participants Paul George OBC, Director of ActionInTime, and Adriane Carr, who was the proponent of the 2002 Citizen’s Initiative to Establish a Proportional Representation Electoral System in BC. It reflects updated best practices that are in place and functioning in other democracies, while respecting the political culture, population distribution and voter expectations in BC. Note: some of the information on these systems has been sourced through ChatGPT AI.

    Overview

    Our democracy is threatened by voter dissatisfaction and apathy: low voter turnout; increased frustration with feeling you have to vote for the lesser of evils instead of your real preference.

    British Columbians deserve a voting system where they can vote for what they actually want, not “strategically” for the “lesser of evils” for fear of their vote being “wasted”.

    • Every vote counts
    • Every region has strong local MLAs
    • Political parties earn seats in proportion to their support
    • No more false majorities or wasted votes

    This proposed 2025 BC Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system delivers all of this. It balances local accountability with more fair proportional representation-and it’s already used successfully in New Zealand, Germany, Scotland, and Wales.

    Key Features of the 2025 BC MMP Model

    1. Two Votes Per Voter

    • Vote 1: For your local MLA (just like today).
    • Vote 2: For a party, which contributes to that party achieving its fair share of seats.

    This gives voters more power by adding to their current election of a local MLA with an additional vote for the party they feel represents their values and interests the best.

    Continue Reading »

  • Free your vote 2.0

    Electoral Reform, Uncategorized January 24, 2018 , by

    by Paul George

    “Your input will help shape the future of our democracy,” declares a November 17 BC government press release. The release announces the BC government has introduced legislation to hold a referendum in the fall of 2018 through a mail-in vote that will ask voters to decide whether BC should keep our current voting system (First-Past-the-Post) or move to a system of Proportional Representation. https://engage.gov.bc.ca/howwevote/

    It also introduced a public engagement process with feedback via an online questionnaire to help shape the referendum. Public input ends on February 28, 2018 at 4PM, after which the input will be compiled into a report by the Ministry of Attorney General and made public.

    But before the government’s process was even launched, the BC Liberals were vigorously fighting against any electoral reform. Why? Why not give the process and ultimate proposal a fair hearing?

    The Liberals had a different tack after they won the 2001general election. That election blatantly illustrated the unfair results that a first-past-the-post voting system can deliver in multi-party democracies. The Liberals, with 57% of the popular vote, elected 77 MLAs, a whooping 97.5% of the seats in the legislature. The NDP, with 21.5% of the vote, won just two seats (Joy MacPhail and Jenny Kwan). The upstart Green Party, with 12.4% of the popular vote, got no seats, no representation and no chance to present its ideas in the legislature for debate. Continue Reading »

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