Fair Elections Vancouver assisted the Know Wards Coalition in successfully defeating an October 16, 2004, city wide referendum that would have changed the way Vancouver elected it's City Council. That referendum was between the current at-large system and a ward system.

The ward system proposed comprised exclusively of councillors elected from first-past-the-post single member wards and was the same non-proportional electoral district system used at the provincial and federal levels. That system is a winner take all system that suffers from unbalanced -- and sometimes wildly unbalanced -- election results, a sense of wasted votes, and "vote splitting" where there are more than two parties or candidates. This type of system experiences lower voter turnout and more non-participation when compared to other voting systems that incorporate proportionality (proportional representation) or preferential voting (ranked ballots).

A voting system should be measured on these principles:

1. Proportionality: there should be a close correspondence between the percentage of votes a party or political affiliation wins and the percentage of seats it wins.
    
2. Voter Choice: comparatively you want a voting system that is better at presenting the choices that voters want, and encourages voters to vote sincerely, rather than strategically.
    
3. Local Representation: all regions in Vancouver should be fairly represented in City Council.
    
4. Every Vote Counts: the voting system should accord equal weight to all ballots cast and should minimize the wastage of votes.

We feel there are better systems than the at-large system we have now and a first-past-the-post ward system. If you agree,

• Contact us at fev@alternatives.com and join us in our efforts to promote proportional representation and preferential (ranked ballot) voting as alternatives to current first-past-the-post electoral systems.
   
• Click here to view our two-page information sheet. Print this out and distribute to others.

Implementing a voting system that is not better than the one we have now would be a big mistake and a waste of taxpayers money. Local democracy advocates did not call on the Berger Commission to implement any of the first-past-the-post electoral systems that commission only considered.